When You Wish To Be Wanted
by Yidkirkin of the Warhammer
Summary: Harry doesn't know why his freakishness sent him to the outskirts of Simple Diet Hill, but he does know that now that he has people who care for him, nothing is going to take him down; not even being flung between worlds against his will. Harry will do the best he can with what he's given, and maybe find a family in the meantime. Toriko timeline explained at the start of chapter 6.
1. Chapter 1

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Woo another fic from yours truly. What's that? It's not a crossover with Crows or Worst? Surely you jest. FYI –I headcanon Harry as being East Indian (and Hermione is black).

SPOILERS PROBS

Whenever Harry was out of the house and had to run from Dudley and his friends, he would go to one of two places. The first was the old park just beyond Magnolia Crescent; it was always deserted, had several perfect trees he tended to climb up into and was far enough away from number four that Dudley was never inclined to follow after him. Harry presumed that it was due to both Piers and Thorton having boundaries in the neighbourhood set in place by their parents that the two boys would never dare cross. The second place was another park, this time on Dahlia Way; it was closer than Magnolia Park but was nearly always crowded with families of all ages. This was good for Harry in that there were parents there who wouldn't tolerate Dudley's bullying, but it was also the lesser frequented of the two since Harry had never cared much for crowded places –they made him nervous.

The day that Harry ran from Dudley and Piers after the latter had elbowed him in his side, he made it as far as the entrance to Magnolia Crescent before his steps ground to a halt and he gasped out, unable to run any longer after having the wind knocked out of him, his empty stomach harshly protesting the exercise.

Cradling his middle, tears sprung into Harry's eyes when he unintentionally made the smarting worse by bending over. Any blows he suffered from the neighbourhood bullies always affected him doubly so when he hadn't eaten, and today was the second in a row that Harry had gone without food. It was also more difficult to run in this condition, but today was the first he'd ever stopped to take a break instead of toughing it out the entire run to the park. Harry didn't end up having much time to catch his breath; after a minute or two he heard the distant trample of feet on asphalt coming towards him from Wisteria Walk, along with the unmistakable sound of the hollering and jeering he had come to associate with the usual gaggle of his cousin's classmates. With an odd sort of prickling terror, Harry slowly turned on the spot, only to find that there was a rather determined pack of about seven boys running directly towards him, with Dudley leading at the helm.

Harry felt faint, but he tried to push that aside right then and simply began to sprint as fast as he could in the opposite direction –to the haven that Magnolia Park might offer him. This had happened only twice before and both times Harry had been able to easily evade them, but the difference was that in those situations Harry had been uninjured and not been deprived of food for two days. The young boy knew, even before the childish jeers grew louder in his ears, that if he was caught this time then he was going to be in a terrible state come the aftermath.

The pain in Harry's stomach spiked again as he rounded the corner leading to the park –he was almost out of range –and he tried to keep ignoring it, but that was an exceedingly hard task when he also needed to concentrate on his footing and how far back his pursuers were. Sweat started to bead on his brow as Harry glanced over his shoulder, and he knew he had to run faster when the yelling boys were hot on his heels, even gaining on him as he began slowing down against his will.

Harry knew this was his last chance, so he shut his eyes, kicked hard off of the dirt, and sailed over the fence separating the park from the farmer's field that bordered it on the once side. Harry didn't stop running; in fact he managed to push himself even faster, so much so that when he finally ran out of steam he was in the middle of the small patch of trees that sat more than 200 feet from the fence and had long since left behind all of the ones who had been chasing him.

Harry gasped and panted harshly, throat raw and chest heaving, his skinny legs wobbling dangerously as he came down from the high of the adrenaline rush. Once it had all leaked out of his system he swayed for a moment, eyes glazed over and unfocused, and then he promptly fell to his knees, hands preventing him from receiving a face full of dirt as he pitched forward, coughing and sobbing. When even his arms couldn't support him, Harry let himself fall onto the leaf strewn ground, not even caring as his bent glasses jabbed his nose painfully and his now aching body protested the jostling violently.

Harry felt his heavy eyelids slide shut, his vision blurry even as bright light half blinded him. He laid there for the longest of moments, enveloped in warmth and a soft glow, feeling utterly content for the first time in several months. He soaked it in briefly before the radiance disappeared, and terror rose in the eight year old's throat as he suddenly went cold and could see nothing but darkness. Harry was frozen, but his mind whirred –he wanted to go back to that place of safety, he didn't want to be left in the cold, so much like the nights when he had gotten locked out of the house by a tired and muttering Uncle Vernon. More tears spilled from his eyes, and he felt a horrible tug behind his navel –aggravating what he dimly thought may have been a bruised stomach –and then, his entire body started moving again. It was almost like he was being spun, squeezed and pulled all at once, disorienting him effectively and making him sob ever harder. Harry was ready to start screaming when a sharp jolt of searing pain ran through his entire body –but everything ceased before he could.

The warm light was back, and Harry sobbed with relief as he was cocooned again in airy bliss, the sensation far more intense than it had been before. Harry stayed absolutely still bar the heaving of his chest, hoping the cold wouldn't return, and in the few minutes of quiet before he finally fell asleep, he thought he heard a distant, worried yell.

Vvv

Takimaru was patrolling the northern border of Simple Diet Hill on Aimaru's orders when a soft sound caught his attention from one of cliff out crops directly above him. He frowned in concentration, listening until he heard it again; it was a broken, heaving sound, that of someone sobbing as if they had lost everything important to them in the world. Patting Del on the neck and slipping down to the ground, Takimaru used a short version of his pre-shot routine to allow him the full use of his leg and arm muscles so he could scale the sheer rock to investigate.

Initially, he couldn't make heads or tails of which bush held the crying individual, as Quilt Sage had the peculiar effect of muffling and redirecting any sounds that came near them. It wasn't the best plant to have around a frequently patrolled area, Takimaru once again told himself, reduced to checking each bush for whoever was in such distress, calling out softly for them at the same time. It was only after about five minutes of searching that he finally came upon the correct bush –and he immediately let out a shocked yell when he pushed the middle branches aside to see who was there.

It was a child, curled in on himself and crying so despondently that it hurt Takimaru to watch, even as the crying reduced to a full body shudder as the child fell asleep. He did a quick once over before he scooped the shaking but unresponsive boy out of the underbrush and into his arms, alarmed at his light weight and delicate extremities. The boy was anywhere from six to nine years old, with messy, short hair about the same shade as Takimaru's own and dry, umber coloured skin. He had a scar shaped like a stylized 'S' smack in the middle of his forehead, wore bent and dirty circular glasses (which Takimaru pocketed) and was dressed in a pair of near comically oversized shorts and t-shirt. Before he made the trip back to Del, Takimaru placed a hand over the boys forehead only to remove it just as quickly, wondering just how long the extremely feverish child had been lying there.

It took almost twice as long for Takimaru to pick his way back to his horse as it had taken him to climb up, but that didn't even cross the Knight's mind while he cradled the unconscious boy in his arms. He only allowed himself to inspect the child again once they were sitting astride Del's back and the horse began making its way back to the base of the Gourmet Knights.

So young, Takimaru thought sadly, even younger than he had been when he had contracted his disease. Young and sick and not from around here, for Takimaru knew everyone in Simple Diet Hill and Eco Land, and this far West there weren't many with skin as dark as the child, though he didn't count tourists, Gourmet Hunters and the like. If he had to guess, the boy came from somewhere in the South East, near the Wu-Chilian Isles, or maybe even near the Southernmost Human World border, the stretch of land only called 'Value'. But how had he gotten here, to the borders of Simple Diet Hill and up a cliff even he had some difficulty scaling?

Takimaru stared at the shivering child and drew him closer to his chest, putting aside the worrying thoughts for the moment so he could direct Del back down the well traveled path to the Gourmet Knight lodgings.

Vvv


	2. Chapter 2

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

I'm so glad this story is being received positively! I'm quite enjoying writing it, so here's the second chapter that came out of all that support. I can't say the chapters will come out regularly or frequently, but it'll definitely continue!

SPOILERS SURE WHY NOT

When Harry returned –rather abruptly –to consciousness, he wasn't in the light or the cold, but instead was tucked into a small, firm bed, covered in a light brown comforter and situated in the middle of a lowly lit, red wood panelled room. Harry shivered violently and reached up to pull the blanket tighter around himself, only then realizing that he wasn't wearing his glasses. With his eyesight the way it was, Harry could make out that there were two chairs on either side of the bed and only clearly tell what was on the far wall –that being nothing –though he could also see the faint outline of a door in the wall to his left.

Still shivering but not as chilled, Harry listened for a few minutes, trying to figure out where he was through the sounds around him. He could hear running water from up in the ceiling, and there was a low murmuring coming from the door's direction, like he heard when Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were in the kitchen and he was in his cupboard. He knew he wasn't in a hospital, nor was he at number four or Mrs. Figg's, and he had never seen a room like this anywhere at school. Harry shifted uncomfortably and then stilled before lifting up the blanket to find that he was no longer dressed in Dudley's hand-me-down t-shirt and shorts. Now he was wearing a light green long sleeved shirt and a loose pair of pants, both made out of a thin fabric that Harry had never seen before. He had the sleeve raised far from his face to try and inspect it when the door to the room opened unexpectedly, an action that made Harry squeak and bury himself underneath the comforter in fright.

"Oh my. Aimaru-san! The young one is awake!" A voice called from the door, one that Harry didn't recognize at all, nor the name of the person they had called for. Harry kept himself still, hearing the person enter the room and sit down in one of the chairs to his left, and then seconds later another set of foot falls could be heard entering the room. There was silence for a brief period of time, maybe five minutes, before the new person addressed him.

"Hey there, kiddo." The voice –a man –said, very close to directly above Harry's head. "It's alright, we're not going to hurt you. We only want to make sure you're okay." Harry didn't move, but he heard the man walk a bit before the end of the bed sagged like he had sat down. "C'mon now, don't be shy. My name is Aimaru, what might yours be?"

Something in the man's voice –sincerity, honesty, Harry couldn't quite pin it down –made Harry feel as if he should answer. It was as if the man really wasn't going to hurt him like Dudley and Aunt Petunia sometimes did, and Harry liked that feeling. Hoping he wasn't making a mistake, Harry swallowed his fear and sat up, moving the comforter away from his face so he could see the man.

Of course, his sight blurred everything within fifteen feet of him, so all he could make out was a red, black and peach coloured human shape a few feet in front of him at the other end of the bed, and another shape off to the left, this one coloured dark blue, black and peach. As Harry squinted at the two cautiously, the man in front of him moved slowly, holding out an arm so that the man in the chair could give him something that he then passed over to Harry –it was a pair of glasses he would later find to be near identical to his own, if they had ever been unbent and were as pristine as the day Aunt Petunia had bought them five years ago. Surprised, Harry swiftly slipped them onto his face and then gasped audibly.

"They were quite broken, I'm afraid –we had to replace them, and thankfully our medic had the knowledge to check your prescription, as the old ones were far too weak for you." Harry focused on the tall man sitting down the bed, and immediately came to the conclusion that he was the strangest person he had ever seen.

Aimaru was dressed in a red long sleeved shirt and black pants, with bandages covering his forehead and his long black hair tied back into a braid. He had three red triangles marking each of his cheeks, healthy, peach coloured skin and dark brown eyes. He was smiling at Harry patiently, and made no move to speak while the boy directed his curious stare towards the other man in the room.

The man on the chair looked younger than Aimaru, and while he had similar shades of hair and skin, his eyes were blue and the one triangle on his visible cheek was black. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a black turban, with his hair falling to hide the right side of his face from view. The as-yet unnamed man smiled at him as well, with something like concern on his face, so Harry decided that he _had_ to be polite and introduce himself now to these two who had so far been nothing but very nice to him.

"My name is Harry. Where am... uh... I mean..." Harry knew his Aunt didn't tolerate questions at all, but would these two be the same? He struggled with the words for a minute longer before the man in the turban spoke to him for the first time.

"It's nice to meet you, Harry-kun. My name is Takimaru. Right now you are in a place called Simple Diet Hill, in one of our guest rooms." Harry had ceased his stuttering in order to pay attention to Takimaru, gripping the blanket tightly when the explanation only offered a location he had never heard of before. "I found you, alone, in one of the Quilt Sage bushes on the northern cliffs of Simple Diet Hill, and brought you here to our Lodgings. You were feverish and so we had you thoroughly checked over and given several natural remedies in order to try and help you. You've been asleep since I found you early this morning, it is just past nine o'clock in the evening now."

"I –I don't understand." Harry said, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes without his permission. "I was in the forest near Little Whinging before this, how did I get here?"

"Little Whinging? Harry-kun, in what continent is that place? Taro? Wu-Chili? Perhaps Value?" Aimaru asked, frowning when Harry shook his head.

"It's –It's in Britain, which is in Europe. I don't know what those p-places are." Harry sniffed and took his glasses off so he could rub at his eyes. "I don't understand... it was warm and then cold and then warm again –and then I woke up here. I-I –I'm sorry, I think I did something freakish again –I didn't m-mean to do it!" Harry started crying quietly and Takimaru was instantly beside him, rubbing at his back and attempting to soothe him.

"Hey now, it's alright Harry-kun. It's okay, we're not blaming you for anything." Aimaru stayed where he was, frown only growing as he watched his protégé try to console the mysterious, frightened child. "What do you mean you did something freakish? If you tell us, we might be able to figure out a way to get you back to... Europe."

Harry hiccupped wetly, choking out several gasps as he started to calm down, at the same time tensing up as if he were getting ready to bolt at any moment. By the time he had worked himself up to be able to speak, Takimaru had moved into a more comfortable position, removing his hand from the boy's back and instead taking his hands between his.

"My –My Aunt and Uncle don't like iiiit whe-en I do freakish stu-tu-uff. Once, I... I made a toy turn into –into metal and Unnnncle Vernon locked me in my cupboard for-for two days." Harry tried to explain through the lump in his throat. "Annnnnd I once... went fro-om-om the gr-ground to the sch... ool roof in a second. I must've done it againnn... when-when Aunt Petunia finds out, she's going to –going to be so mad!"

"Well, I think that what you can do sounds amazing." Takimaru said calmly, though he had shot an alarmed look back at his leader at the mention of being locked in a cupboard he referred to as 'his'. "Harry-kun, your aunt can't get mad at you if she doesn't know you did anything. I promise, you don't have to worry about us telling her. Does that make you feel a bit better?"

"...mmhm..." Harry nodded furiously. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"It's fine, you're alright, everything's alright." Takimaru said gently, patting the child's hands and humming thoughtfully. "Why don't you have a bit more sleep, Harry-kun? When you wake up, Aimaru-san or I will be here with some food for you. How does that sound?"

"..okay." Harry agreed quietly, letting Takimaru take his glasses from him and cover him with the comforter again. It took a few minutes for Harry to drift off, during which time neither of the Knights moved an inch for fear of jostling him awake as he was still holding Takimaru's hands.

"Aimaru-san..." Takimaru started, eyes on the child, but paused when he saw his leader hold up a hand out of his periphery.

"He reminds you of yourself." The older man stated, and Takimaru's eyes shifted to the thin, bony fingers clutching at his own.

"Mm. I am... torn, admittedly." Takimaru said, quiet so Harry didn't wake up. "I feel I could help him. So small, so scared, the medic said he's worse than I was by far, but I think we're similar too." The Knight looked up at Aimaru, a crumpled frown on his face. "Aimaru-san, I'm not sure what I should do. Everyone has expectations of me, after Ice Hell, and I'm barely at second tier... but even so, this boy..."

Aimaru stopped his protégé once more. "Taki..." he said lowly, reaching out a hand to brush the hair away from his eye –the only remaining evidence of Takimaru's fractured childhood. "You are like a son to me, I... I think of you as my own child. If you wish to help this boy –if you even for a second think you can shoulder the responsibility, I will support you. The Gourmet Faith actively encourages such endeavours, it is only because you have been so involved with Nerg's relief efforts that I have never brought the subject up to you as I would for others."Takimaru blushed mildly at the gentle reminder of the scope of his efforts in the past few years, something he had been exclusively assigned to on his own insistence. Aimaru smiled fondly at the bashful expression on his protégé's face before he went on.

"Thanks to my years spent in Toriko's company, I have a sort of sixth sense about certain sorts of people." Aimaru said, withdrawing his hand to place it atop Takimaru's and Harry's. "This boy, Harry-kun, seems to have been utilizing his Gourmet Cells in a way I have rarely encountered. He is malnourished and weak, perhaps abused if some of his injuries were to be looked at in the right light. He is a child who will need full time care; nurturing, support, training-"

"-and those are all the same things which you gave to me years ago." Takimaru interrupted. "As I said, it is only a notion at this point. I will have to think on it, see what Harry-kun has to say. I was abandoned, which is a different situation than what Harry-kun seems to be in... I have never heard of any of the places he has mentioned."

"That appears to be the same with him as well." Aimaru chuckled. "Why don't you go to the kitchens and ask Oumaru for a meal tailored to the medic's specifications? Make sure to stress his weak stomach lining. I will go and consult the library for the places he told us of."

Takimaru readily agreed, wanting to have a chance to prepare himself for any other reveals about their guest's treatment that might get brought up over the course of the meal. Oumaru was happy for a request that utilized her seldom used skill sets, and chatted on with Takimaru about Harry as she prepared the food. Oumaru herself had four children and was currently pregnant with the fifth, so Takimaru tried to answer all of her concerned queries about the child's health and behaviour as best he could. When she finally dismissed him from her kitchen, bearing a small tray with several kinds of special dishes placed on it, she made sure to stress that he call her immediately if they needed anyone to take the boy in.

"I'll keep you in mind, Oumaru-san." Takimaru told her gratefully. "Say hello to your children and Sayaka-san for me."

"I will, Taki-kun. Now go on –get that boy some food!" Oumaru swept back into the kitchen with all the grace her distended stomach would allow her before Takimaru could respond, so he did as he was told and started back over to the guest room.


	3. Chapter 3

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

For all the lovelies who followed and favourited!~

SPOILERS

By the time Takimaru returned to the guest room some ten minutes after that, having briefly detoured to retrieve a children's book from the primary classroom, he could hear quiet coughing coming from behind the closed door. He was glad Harry had awoken on his own, even if it was far sooner than he had expected, and hefted the tray into his left hand so he could open the door with his right. When he entered, Harry abruptly stopped his coughing fit and fixed his eyes upon the tray instead, staring at the food as if he had never seen anything like it before.

"Hello, Harry-kun. How was your sleep?" Harry shrugged silently, still staring at the tray as Takimaru placed it on the side table to his left. "Hm. You didn't sleep for very long, is it because you're hungry?"

Harry didn't say anything.

"Well, if you are, I have some food here for you. You can't eat it too fast though, because your body is malnourished and won't be able to handle it –do you know what malnourished means?" Takimaru was rambling on, but Harry made an interested noise, so he kept going. "It means you didn't get enough food when you needed it, so you're smaller and weaker than you should be. Harry-kun, how old are you?"

"...eight." Harry swallowed nervously and hugged his arms. "...I'm not in trouble?"

"No. We only want to help you." Takimaru reassured, recalling with exceeding clarity how many times Aimaru had needed to do the same after he had eaten his disease. "Why don't you try the soup? Oumaru-san –one of the chefs –made it especially for you."

This was the right thing to say apparently, as Harry nodded instantly and set upon the dish as soon as Takimaru placed it in front of him. Takimaru kept a watchful eye on his pace, but he never needed to slow him down as the boy had taken what he had said earlier to heart. Harry was on his last mouthful of the soup when the door was pushed open and Aimaru walked in, smiling when he caught sight of the empty bowl on the tray.

"Taki, Harry-kun." He greeted, sitting in the chair closest to the head of the bed on Harry's right. "I looked into where you said you were before you woke up here, Harry-kun. I'm sorry, but I could find no place in our World Atlas that matched where you said you came from."

"What does that mean?" Takimaru asked, eyes flickering from his leader to the fragile child on the bed.

"It means that either Harry-kun is lying –which I find unlikely –or that he comes from... somewhere that is not on any Human World map." Takimaru's eyes widened at the implication.

"The Gourmet World?" he asked, noticing out of the corner of his eyes that Harry looked torn between confusion and tears again.

"That would be my best guess. Harry-kun," Aimaru addressed the eight year old, who straightened a little under the man's gaze. "You carry a different sort of cell inside you –a rare kind which only a small percentage of the population possess –called Gourmet Cells. If you are truly from the Gourmet World, they would naturally be a part of your body regardless of your malnourishment all through your life. These cells normally affect a person by making them heal very fast and giving them extraordinary physical abilities. I have reason to think that your... freakishness, as your family calls it, could be explained through the evolution of your cells. Do you ever heal quickly, grow your nails very fast or maybe, jump very high or find it hard to get tired?"

Harry's face paled and his expression went blank, he looked down at his hands quickly as he sniffed. "Some –times, when Aunt Petunia cuts my hair it-it –it grows back the next day... and, when I –I, uh... was running form Dudley, I jumped over a- fence, without trying."

"Those do sound like the effects of active Gourmet Cells." Takimaru murmured. "And it may fit in with turning your toy to metal. Tell me, what other things have happened around you, Harry-kun?"

Harry nodded slowly and haltingly told the two Knights about several 'freaky' incidents he remembered, some he had been punished for and others having never been caught. There was the time he had made the flowers in the living room window wilt the moment he touched them, the several times in the park he had been sitting alone but could hear a conversation like he had been next to someone, and when he had repaired a teacup he had broken at Mrs. Figg's after being scared that the old woman would make him leave. Every so often Aimaru would nod sagely and Takimaru would have Harry stop in order to take a sip of water. When Harry couldn't remember anything else, Aimaru started scribbling things on a scrap piece of paper even as he spoke to his protégé and guest.

"This makes things easier for me, thank you very much, Harry-kun. I have an idea about what is happening now, though I confess to be needing consult before I can make a clear conclusion. It seems to me though, that your Cells have given you the capacity to affect your immediate surroundings. Perhaps similar to Heavenly King Sunny's abundant hair he can control, or like a variation of Toriko's Fork and Knife Technique. Now, this is nothing to be ashamed of." Aimaru said this firmly, and Harry gave him a startled look. "Though not exactly common, Gourmet Cell users are known and accepted throughout most of the developed Human World. Though this kind of manifestation is one I can't pin down just yet, I will tell you that you are as normal as anyone else, Harry-kun."

"Yes, and you can stay here as long as you'd like to." Takimaru added, oblivious to the proud smile Aimaru sent him. "I think you deserve a better lot in life. If you want, I will make sure you can reach your full potential here."

Harry was silent for barely ten seconds before he began to cry again in earnest. He was quickly revealing himself to be an emotional, honest child, though these tears were thankfully different from his previously terrified or distressed fits. There were no gasps for air or uncontrollable shaking, no spurts of hiccups or choked apologies –Harry was just nodding and sobbing quietly. Takimaru reached over to the platter of food and withdrew a napkin that he used to wipe at Harry's cheeks continuously even as more tears came.

Eventually Harry exhausted himself and fell asleep once more, so that Takimaru found himself fussing and adjusting him so he was laid back under the blankets again. Aimaru watched his protégé (_son_) with a sort of startled awe, as if he were only now realizing something that should have been blindingly obvious to him long ago.

"I'm going to get a bit of rest." Takimaru said once he had settled Harry to his liking, effectively snapping Aimaru out of his reverie. The first-tier Knight was determined to be well rested in the coming days so that he might think about this sudden, new possibility of a child with a clear mind. "I'll ask Tokumaru to watch him for the few hours I'll need... it, it is okay that he stay here, Aimaru-san? I presumed..."

"It is absolutely alright, so long as you take full responsibility for him, Takimaru." Aimaru gauged his son's reaction to the stipulation, and was pleased when he received only uncontested acceptance. Soon, both he and Takimaru were getting some much needed rest, well aware that a child like Harry was going to need a lot more than a few days of attention and care.


	4. Chapter 4

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Here you guys go! Hope it lives up to your expectations.

SPOILERS

When Takimaru entered Harry's room the next morning around ten, he was only mildly surprised to find the eight year old awake and quite comfortably conversing with Tokumaru about gardening and lower level ingredients. Tokumaru was a newer member of their organization, formerly a Gourmet Reviver who specialized in low to medium level Flora Ingredients, and the bit of chatter he caught before they noticed his arrival concerned the colours of the Begonia flower and how they differed from the much more common Paper Begonias that had been one of Tokumaru's first assignments in his youth. Harry caught sight of Takimaru in the doorway before the ex-Reviver did, his whole face brightening up for a moment until it fell into what Takimaru was coming to think of as 'detached shame'.

"Good morning Harry-kun, Tokumaru-san. Having a good talk?" He asked, placing a bentou full of Cereal Seeds and Gopher Cow milk on the bedside table. Harry nodded shyly, eyes on the food as Tokumaru stood, chuckling quietly.

"Harry-kun here has dealt with some very rare benign ingredients in his short life. We were discussing the differences between respective varieties." Benign ingredients? Strange, if Harry came from the Gourmet World, but their apparent rarity convinced him that it wasn't entirely impossible. "It was nice to speak with you, Harry-kun, but I'm afraid I have to go. I promised my brother Abutsu I would assist him in town today." Harry frowned but nodded, and after the middle-aged Knight had left he was again completely focused on the container of food Takimaru had brought him.

"More food." Takimaru said unnecessarily. "Gopher Cow milk helps to settle the acids in your stomach, which is something that needs to be addressed today, and Cereal Seeds pass through your digestive tract easily while giving full nutrients to your system."

"G-Gopher Cow?" Harry looked extremely confused at the concept, so Takimaru poured him a cup of the beige liquid and explained.

"A Gopher Cow is a Capture Level two Ingredient, but only because they form small underground colony nests that are difficult for most Hunters to locate; for the most part they are exceedingly agreeable Fauna. Fully grown, they stand a bit higher than me, are covered in beige fur and have six paws armed with four sturdy claws, with short, flat tails that they use to clear dirt from the entrances to their dens. They have never been well received when someone attempts to cook their meat, but have long been domesticated since they tend to get along well with humans who respect them." Takimaru expounded on the animals patiently, smiling wide as Harry made a noise of approval at the taste of the drink. "We have a tiny colony here, in fact. Maybe once you're feeling better, I'll take you to see them."

"Okay."

"Now, before I got here I went to speak with Amara-san. She's the medic from Eco Land who we called to look after you when I found you. She gave me some ingredients for you to eat, ones that will help your immediately manageable issues." The Knight pulled a small paper bag out of his jacket pocket and dumped the contents onto his palm, holding them out so Harry could inspect them himself. "This here is an Enamel Beetle. When someone bites into it, chemicals in its shell are released that repair damaged teeth, but only baby teeth for whatever reason. This one is called an Acuity Leaf –when you swallow it whole it sticks to the bottom of your oesophagus and releases pheromones that trigger the rejuvenation of weak cells and tissues, something we want because your stomach is very delicate. Lastly is the Seed of Support; Amara-san noticed that your bones were somewhat brittle, and this ingredient will let your bones bear your weight for half a year and absorb twice as much calcium, so by that time you won't need it anymore."

"...okay." Taking the beetle first from the Knight, Harry chewed it with a pinched expression, not liking the taste of the little creature very much at all. Takimaru had him eat some Cereal Seeds and more milk before giving him the Acuity Leaf, followed soon after by the Seed of Support.

"Good job, you did great Harry-kun." Takimaru praised, glad to muster a blush out of the boy instead of another ashamed expression. He was about to bring up the books he had gathered from the various classrooms and libraries when he noticed that Harry was trying to speak to him.

"Uhm... Mr. Takimaru... why –uh, wh –uh –mm..." Harry's brow furrowed as he attempted to get the words out, finally managing to when he looked away from the Knight at his bedside. "I –I just... want to know...why you are d-doing this."

Takimaru blinked. "Why I'm doing _what?_" Harry flinched minutely and Takimaru immediately recognized his mistake and hoped he could rectify it. "No, Harry-kun, I'm not angry, I'm confused. Please, what did you mean?"

Harry hesitated and took a deep breath before he spoke again, "I mean... why are you doing –_all_ of this? Uncle Ver-non says no one does _anything_ for free."

"...Harry-kun, how does your family treat you? I promise I'll tell you what you want to know, but I need to hear this from you first."

"...Aunt Petunia doesn't like me doing –freakish things or-or asking questions, and neither does Uncle Vernon. B-But they aren't bad, not really... I mean..." Harry trailed off uncertainly.

"Do your Aunt or Uncle ever hurt you? How do they punish you when your cells act up?"

"Uncle V-ernon yells and locks me in my cupboard." Harry said promptly, easily, quite used to it even at his age. "And –And Aunt Petunia has h-hit me, two times, but that was just when I was... really bad. Usually she just –doesn't let me eat at dinner. I –I turned my teacher's hair blue and so- so she –she didn't give me _anything_ for two days this time."

"Are there any other children living with you? How are they treated?" Takimaru asked, mind racing at the new information Harry had told him. At the very least, he was grateful for the fact that there wasn't a worse case of physical abuse to have to deal with, though it was a small comfort.

"My cousin, Dudley. He doesn't do anything f-reaky like I do, and he gets away with lots and bu-bullies me sometimes. But Uncle Vernon never does anything when I fight with him... he says roughhousing is good for boys."

"Ah... thank you, Harry-kun. Now, you wanted to know why I'm helping you for free?" Harry nodded. "It's because... it's that you remind me of someone. He would have never gotten to where he is now if someone hadn't helped him, and I want to do the same for you. Besides that, you were sick and hurt and you're a child –I wouldn't have left you alone simply due to that."

"...you know someone else like me?" Harry whispered.

"Mmhm... a few, actually. Once someone helped them, that was all they needed. Nowadays they are some of the greatest people I know. Anything you need from now on, Harry-kun, I... I will help you as much as I can." Takimaru ruffled Harry's hair. "So that includes questions. Don't hesitate to ask me about anything you want to know. If I can't answer or if it's bad for you to have asked, I'll tell you why." Harry hummed agreeably.

"Th-Then... what's a Gourmet Knight? And a Gourmet Reviver?" Harry's knuckles were strained where he clutched at the comforter. "Uh –Mr. Tokumaru mentioned them –when we were talking. I didn't want to ask about it before."

"Mr... I noticed you called me Mr. Takimaru earlier, but you can just call me Takimaru. As for what those are..." Takimaru scratched at his cheek, momentarily wondering where to begin. "A Gourmet Reviver is a protector of ingredients. They prevent poaching and over-hunting, are knowledgeable of laws and medicines, and sometimes may bring back an extinct species if it's possible. It's no surprise you heard that title; Tokumaru-san was a Reviver before he chose to join us." Absentmindedly, Takimaru touched the triangle inked underneath his right eye. "Gourmet Knights are an order of Gourmet Hunters. Gourmet Hunters specialize in the capture of high level ingredients, usually for clients. Gourmet Knights are the same, but were are something of a humanitarian aid group –we also follow the Gourmet Faith, the same as most people who live in Simple Diet Hill."

"Is that –is that what that triangle means? Mr. Tokumaru had two, but Mr. Aimaru had six." Harry pointed out, stalling less in his sentences now that he was relaxed and coming to terms with the fact that Takimaru was allowing him to ask questions.

"That's exactly it. Aimaru-san doesn't let anyone formally join the Knights until they turn fifteen, because one of our traditions is receiving this facial tattoo. Sometimes if they're younger, he'll let them apply a semi-permanent ink, but that's beside the point. Tokumaru-san and I are first tier, which usually contains new members. I have many expectations of me because I was raised by Aimaru-san since I was young, so I've chosen to remain in first tier until he's decided I've reached my full potential." Takimaru said this all carefully, wanting to make sure Harry understood a subject so important to him. "Aimaru-san is the leader of the Gourmet Knights and is one of the few third tiers. Sometimes, if a Knight has a mastery in something or other, or has done many things of note, they might have more markings, but reflected on their forehead."

"And, what's the Gourmet Faith?" Takimaru figured this was as good an opportunity as any to bring up the books he had gathered for the curiously uninformed eight year old, so he reached behind him briefly and grabbed the thin stack from the bed.

"I brought a few books for you. Can you read?" When Harry nodded, staring at the books in much the same way he had the tray of food, Takimaru showed him several at once. "There's a book in here that can tell you everything you might want to know about the Gourmet Religion and the Gourmet Faith; it could tell you better than I, since sometimes I get distracted. There's a book about the differences between the Human and Gourmet Worlds, one about ingredients and their capture levels, and several story books I remember enjoying at your age." Takimaru's expression ghosted on wistful as Harry gingerly –like he was handling glass –took the stack of books and neatly transferred them to his side table.

"Th-Thank you, very much Mr. –erm, I mean, Takimaru. I, I promise I'll read them." Harry said, cheeks tinged with red and an unsure but happy smile on his face. He went to say something more, but before he could make a sound his entire body flushed darker and his breath stuttered out of him, his eyes glazing over as he slumped forward and gasped. Takimaru gently guided Harry onto his back, making sure to tuck him in as soon as he had arranged Harry just so, the boy breathing harshly all the while.

"Don't panic, Harry-kun, this is the side effect of the Acuity Leaf –I'm sorry I didn't warn you, I was side tracked by the conversation. The Acuity Leaf needs time to rejuvenate your cells, and even more for your Gourmet Cells. Your body is warming itself in preparation; by the time you wake up everything will be done, then you'll be able to read a bit."

Harry nodded shakily, sighing when Takimaru placed a cool hand on his burning forehead, and then whimpered as the fever grew, small hands shooting out to grasp at Takimaru's. It was a few minutes before Harry's skin paled and he relaxed, still holding onto the Knight's hand as he fell into an exhausted sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Taking a small break after this chapter, just to get a buffer of chapters written up. Please review if you like it, I always love to hear feedback!

SPOILERS

"Takimaru?" Looking to the door, said man saw that it was Akimaru standing there, face serious but posture as relaxed as he had ever seen it. The man's eyes flickered over to Harry, who had previously been reading aloud to Takimaru about the Gourmet God Acacia but was now ducked in behind Takimaru's arm, only just peeking out at the stranger who had interrupted them.

"Yes? What do you need Akimaru-san?"

"Aimaru sent me to retrieve you. I'm sorry to interrupt, but he needs you to go to his quarters as soon as you can." Takimaru thanked Akimaru for letting him know, shaking his head amusedly once the older man had departed without another word.

"I'm sorry, Harry-kun, but it looks like I'm needed elsewhere. Do you think you'll be fine for however long I'm away? Do you need anything right now?"

Harry looked at his book, considering the question, before he shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. I can read some more... and I'm getting a bit tired."

"Okay, if you're sure." Takimaru stayed a minute longer to refill the boy's glass of water before he left the guest room and made his way over to the main building where Aimaru's room and office were located.

He found his leader just where Akimaru had said he would be; sitting at one of the chairs in the middle of his quarters, legs crossed at the ankles and engrossed in a small green book, completely oblivious to Takimaru's presence in the doorway. Takimaru observed his father figure for a few seconds before clearing his throat softly –he certainly didn't startle the man, but Aimaru did look surprised to see him standing there.

"Taki, you got here sooner than I expected." Aimaru said, smiling and putting away his book.

"The Acuity Leaf took less time than I had predicted to sort Harry-kun out. We were going through some of the books I had procured for him." Takimaru took the chair opposite Aimaru. "What did you need me for? Akimaru gave the impression it wasn't urgent, but important nonetheless."

"These," Aimaru scooped up a few papers from the low table between them and passed them to Takimaru, who realized with a start that they were from the Gourmet Knights' Records. "I need you to fill out those two forms, one with Harry-chan and the other at your discretion."

"A notice of custody and a... habitation form?" Aimaru nodded and swept his hands around him grandly.

"There will be more documents, of course; IGO, Gourmet Police and United Nations official records and what not. But these two I feel are currently the most pertinent to get out of the way." Takimaru listened to his leader with one ear, reading through the papers carefully. "Since you have expressed such an interest in Harry-chan, I'm making you his primary caregiver. This will make it so that within the Knights, he will be your ward; similar to what I did with you. And he obviously cannot stay in the guest quarters his entire life, so I'm having Surumaru-kun moved to the room he's been asking about –then Harry-chan will be moved into the one beside yours; that one you can wait to fill out until he's healthy again, at the least."

"This was... swift." Takimaru muttered, making Aimaru laugh not unkindly.

"I try to be, in cases like these, and I do have practice. Once the forms come in and are sent out again and processed, Harry-chan won't have to worry about returning to his family's home. Did you learn anything else about his home life, by the way?"

"Harry has experience with rare benign ingredients, but is quite uninformed about much of Human World's general knowledge. He didn't know what a Gourmet Reviver, Knight, or the Faith was, and while that would be explained by his living in the Gourmet World, it's far more likely due to his relatives." Takimaru took a steadying breath before continuing. "While both his Aunt and Uncle dislike it when his cells are active, he told me that his Uncle only yells and sends him –_locks him into_ –his cupboard. His Aunt has hit him only twice by his count, and denies him food as punishment. Harry-kun did say that nothing was done when he retaliated against his cousin's bullying, and he appears to be the only one in the family who possesses Gourmet Cells."

"That's very concerning. Why would a Gourmet World family reject a Gourmet Cell user? They are the norm over there, not even _counting_ Bizarre Cooking World." Aimaru said lowly, brows furrowed in thought. "I suppose he could be from a previously unknown settlement with few users in the area, or perhaps he was born there and then had to join his relatives elsewhere –he didn't mention his parents after all... this is a mess. Would you call that Tengu Brunch about this? You know Komatsu-san, I'm sure he can get a hold of him, and I have this feeling that he might offer some insight."

"Of course, Aimaru-san. I'll go and give Komatsu-kun a call just after I check back in on Harry-kun." Takimaru folded the forms carefully before he stood. "I'll discuss both of these with him briefly... in case he wants another option."

"Alright. Tell Harry-chan I said hello, and thank you, Taki. This makes everything much easier for me." Takimaru nodded and then left, leaving Aimaru to pick the little green book up once more, ready to continue sorting through all the recorded Gourmet Cell manifestations inside.

(Takimaru entered Harry's room quietly to find that the boy had fallen asleep once more, the closed book he had been reading resting on his covered legs and he himself slumped down against his pillows. Takimaru placed the forms inside the side table's drawer and gently moved Harry down to lie on his back, covering him back up with the comforter and leaving as quietly as he had come to go and call Komatsu.)


	6. Chapter 6

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

What's this? A surprise two chapter update? Indeed!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

_**IMPORTANT TIMELINE EXPLANATION**_

Okay, so here is where this fic is in the Toriko universe; warning, Toriko spoilers;

So, the Cooking Fest battle still happened, all the way up to when Midora and Ichiryuu were fighting. Midora still kills Ichiryuu, Starjuun still kidnaps Komatsu, and Toriko still needs to go into the Gourmet World in order to retrieve his combo partner from Gourmet Corp. But Midora never used his Meteor Spice technique. See, I absolutely disliked the justification for the timeskip, and in this fic I have basically rewritten that part of the manga.

Oh yeah, I go by the manga, in case you were confused.

_Starting from the Cooking Fest Arc;_  
YEAR ONE\- Takimaru goes back to Simple Diet Hill and helps with Cooking Island cleanup. Toriko and Komatsu come back from the Gourmet World and start making trips there with the other Kings. The world isn't destroyed so they're looking for Acacia's full course on their own time. Teppei is rescued from NEO by Jirou. Just disregard all of the NEO/Gourmet Corp/GOD drama, that's Toriko's shtick and won't affect this story.  
YEAR TWO\- Takimaru goes to work as a liaison between the Gourmet Mafia and the IGO in order to get Nerg City and Jidar Kingdom back on their feet. He makes small trips back to Simple Diet Hill and asks Aimaru to officially assign him to this endeavour.  
YEAR THREE\- Same as year two.  
YEAR FOUR- From May until October it's the same as year two and three. From December until April Takimaru goes to Life to work with Teppei and some of the younger generation of Gourmet Revivers who have expressed an interest in trying to revive Nerg and Jidar's lost ecosystems. The IGO attempts a Cooking Fest on its usual date but the repairs to Cooking Island aren't done yet, so they hold a sort of honorary fest to acknowledge the lives lost.  
YEAR FIVE- Takimaru spends his time travelling between Life, Nerg, and Simple Diet Hill.  
YEAR SIX\- From about May to August Takimaru does as he did in year five. Come September he moves back to Simple Diet Hill for an extended period to give himself a break, and the beginning of October is when Harry shows up.

_**TL,DR:**_ Chapter one is in October, about five and a half years after the Cooking Fest Arc, and the Meteor Spice and the Timeskip never happened.

_**HOPE YOU READ ALL THAT! IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FEEL FREE TO ASK AND I'LL ANSWER THEM IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!**_

Harry didn't wake again until the next afternoon, and when he did no one was there to greet him. Without thinking about it much, Harry decided to look out through the hallway door –just to see if anyone was out there –and also so that he could try and find a washroom, as his body was reminding him of a necessity he had neglected the past few days.

Harry moved stiffly and haltingly, his limbs still feeling heavy and a bit prickly due to the Seed of Support's roots now running along his major bones and joints, holding them up and together until he could do it himself. It took him several tries to get his legs to move the way he wanted them to, longer still to swing them off of the side of the bed, and even then he had to use the bed frame and chairs to shuffle his protesting body over to the door.

Beyond it laid a narrow hallway, also wood panelled and bright, with a mirror on the wall to his left and another door to his right. Harry looked inside there firstly; glad to have found the loo so quickly (even if some of the fixtures were foreign to him). Emerging several minutes later feeling marginally better, Harry looked down the long corridor and was suddenly overcome with a feeling of uncertainty. Never mind that he had no idea where he was in relation to anything, but if he got lost looking around then Takimaru or Mr. Aimaru might get mad at him. They really did act like they were completely sincere, and had reassured him more times than he could recall about their intentions to help him –but what about when he did something wrong, or if he actually _used_ his freakishness? What if it wasn't the cells they seemed to be so positive of, would they still be as nice to him, or would they start acting like... his Aunt and... and his Uncle...

Takimaru and Brunch found Harry huddled below the mirror some twenty minutes later, eyes red and sniffling miserably since his tears had run out, and shivering even in the warmth of the hallway. Brunch said nothing as Takimaru knelt down to Harry's level, just observing as the young Knight brushed Harry's shaggy hair away from his eyes and smiled at him in concern.

"Hey, Harry-kun, what's the matter? Did you wake up alone?"

Harry didn't answer, so Takimaru sighed softly and proceeded to scoop the emotional boy into his arms, standing and motioning for Brunch to follow them into the guest room. Harry clung to Takimaru's shirt, petrified as the Knight strode gracefully over to the bed and deposited him against the pillow. Brunch didn't sit, preferring to lean against the end of the bed frame, so Takimaru pulled only one of the chairs up to the head of the mattress while Harry tried to calm himself down.

"Harry-kun, this is Tengu Brunch." Harry finally looked up at the red skinned man and _stared_, because this was the single strangest looking individual he had _ever_ seen. He had white hair and bright red skin, with a nose that jutted out of his face a good four inches and was wearing an open chef's shirt over a black undershirt. He looked like one of the delinquents Aunt Petunia liked to mutter and hiss about on the way to the grocer, with his scowl and how tall he was... his Aunt and Uncle would have _hated _him. The thought made Harry smile shyly at the man, who looked bewildered at the action. "I contacted him yesterday so he could help us figure a few things out. He lives in the Gourmet World himself, and also has Gourmet Cells like you do."

"Really?" Harry asked, eyes going wide and focusing completely on Brunch, who made a neutral expression and nodded.

"Course I do!" He said, sounding proud and resolute. "Not the most knowledgeable 'bout it, I'll say, but I owed Komatsu a favour anyway and –well, not often summat like this comes up." Brunch smirked. "Why, you wanna see?"

Takimaru was about to protest until he saw a glimpse of radiant excitement on Harry's face –not a trace of his previous distress left. "Not anything too big, please." Takimaru told Brunch, hoping that exposure to other users –specifically those who were unashamed about their abilities –would help Harry become more confident in himself. Brunch sat a few feet down the bed from Harry and held his hand out towards the eight year old, and then charged it with just enough electricity so that it would remain visible but wouldn't do any more damage than a static shock.

Harry gasped and stared, fascinated –and then flinched to the side, closing his eyes tightly in expectation of some form of reprimand or punishment, no doubt. When nothing came of it beyond a few crackles from Brunch's hand, Harry opened his eyes again and spent a minute or two inspecting the appendage in awe.

"It doesn't –it doesn't hurt?" He questioned, looking up into Brunch's eyes worriedly. The chef let out a few chuckles and dissolved the energy, drawing a disappointed noise from Harry.

"Nah. But if I do it too much in one go, I have to change these." Brunch showed Harry the small battery slots in his neck, even taking one out and letting the boy hold it for a minute. "Gourmet Cells don't really 'manifest' differently like some people seem to think. They give you the initial things like fast healin' and better physical abilities, and then you use them as the means to accomplish stuff like this. I modified my body myself, but had I not had Gourmet Cells I never would'a been able to generate the energy needed for that. I had to train the cells to manifest the electricity, and now that's all I'll be able to train them on. Like how Toriko just builds on his Fork and Knife techniques... Takimaru tells me you come from the Gourmet World?"

"I –I guess?" Harry admitted. "They had never heard of Britain or –or Europe, and I don't know about anything they tell me. So... that's what we think?"

"Huh. Those don't ring any bells for me either. But then I've stayed mostly around Mt. Tengu and Bizarre Cooking World, and the Gourmet World's a whole lot bigger than that." Brunch shrugged. "I'll bug the old man about it and get Komatsu to ask who'ver he knows over there. Now, you wanted me to feel him out?" Brunch directed this question to Takimaru, who nodded and placed a hand on Harry's forearm.

"That is mainly why I asked you here. Harry-kun, only Gourmet Cell users can accurately assess the state of another's cells, so Brunch-san is going to examine your cells to see how well they're recovering. Is that alright with you?"

Harry kept his eyes on Brunch, silent while he thought about the explanation. "It's fine," he said eventually. "Buuut... but what if my freakishness... _isn't_ Gourmet Cells?"

Takimaru blinked at his charge in confusion and Brunch's expression turned sour. "Then it could be any number of things, but it doesn't particularly matter in your case, Harry-kun." Takimaru said gently, Brunch nodding firmly along with him. "Right now we're most concerned with your health, which is why I asked Brunch-san to do this. If your abilities don't stem from the Gourmet Cell's influence, then that's that."

"Either way you can do weird shit, why worry about where it comes from?" Brunch asked, moving to sit on the other side of Harry on the bed and ignoring the disapproving glare Takimaru shot at him. "Now, everybody does this thing different, but all _I_ need is to see your hand –so give it here."

Harry extended both, offering his right hand to the chef and the other to Takimaru, only relaxing when the Knight cradled the appendage between his own. Brunch placed his index finger in the middle of Harry's palm and then ran a pulse of electricity through it and into the eight year old's hand, making Harry shiver and giggle at the sensation. Smirking, the chef slid his finger down to Harry's wrist and pressed –Harry jolted –and there was a glow as a string of energy came out of Harry's skin, snaking up into Brunch's and leaving a dark line on the skin in its wake. Letting go of the arm, Brunch huffed and crossed his arms nonchalantly.

"Definitely Gourmet Cells." Harry looked to Takimaru, relief clear on his face, and the Knight squeezed his hand in response. "They're all real small –malnourished. If you're going to recover fully you're gonna have to start eating compatible ingredients soon. Also, your cells are... energetic, overly so even had they been healthy, and you've already started using them for a specific purpose. Far as I can tell it's something like, like –like you're manipulating and altering stuff you touch or summat. You've been changing things with your cells, yeah?"

"Um... you mean... like shrinking a sweater? Or –repairing a broken cup?"

"Exactly. So now you just gotta learn how to do all that stuff even better, and on command and all that jazz. Takimaru, I'd suggest teaching him somethin' that'll help him focus until you can start training him –those exuberant cells of his won't help him any."

"Wait, how do I find com-com-compa'ble ingredients?" Harry asked then, latching on to the most important issue to him –choosing to let Takimaru worry about what Brunch had said about his training.

"I could choose some for ya, since I assessed your cells an' all." Brunch said. "Not like I've got much else to do, I'm stuck here for another day 'till the train comes in. But normally you just sort of... know. You're drawn to 'em subconsciously because your cells can tell when somethin's nearby; some people call it 'resonating'."

"Thank you for the offer, Brunch-san." Takimaru said.

"Y-Yes, thank you."

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. Takimaru, I gotta go make a call, and then I'll track down that chef you mentioned. Oumaru?"

Confirming, Takimaru turned back to Harry after Brunch had left, letting go of the boy's hand now that the cell assessment was over with. "What did you think of that?"

"That was amazing!" Harry told him enthusiastically. "He –Mr. Brunch does that in –in _public_? People _know_ about it?"

"Yes, he does. A few years ago, he participated in an event called the Cooking Festival, which is watched by most of the Human World's population. During it, he displayed many of his abilities. Gourmet Cells, as well as other super human abilities, _are_ considered a curiosity, but you probably won't ever have to worry about being discriminated against for them. Especially since many famous Gourmet Hunters have such abilities, and in the Gourmet Age they are well respected."

"So, since I already started doing one thing with them, does that mean... th-that I get to learn how to do it more?"

"Yes, that's right. It's a little early for formal training, not to mention you still have to recover, but I'll teach you some meditation techniques to start out with and then start you on a pre-shot routine, which will further help you focus." Takimaru answered neutrally, knowing that Harry's confidence probably depended on such reassurances at this point. "For now we will get you back to full health and you can read through more books if you want to. I'll have to talk to Aimaru-san about finding you a teacher for your cells, now that Brunch has pinpointed generally how they've manifested."

"So, I _really_ get to stay?" Harry asked hopefully. "...does that mean I have to be a Gourmet Knight?"

Takimaru smiled amusedly. "Yes, you get to stay as long as you want to. But you don't have to be a Gourmet Knight or follow the Gourmet Faith if you don't have any interest in them –that's all your choice, and it is a personal one. Actually, there was something I wanted to bring up to you, about just this." Harry watched curiously as Takimaru pulled out two pieces of paper from the side table. "These are official documents Aimaru-san gave to me yesterday. One will make me your primary caregiver in the Knights; basically you'll be my ward as long as you stay here, and through this we can ensure that you won't be forced back to your relatives through the legal system. The other says that your room will be adjoined to mine, and you can use my address as yours until you're old enough to switch to your own."

"...you want me... to-to live with you." Harry breathed.

"If it's what you want as well. We can find other options for you..."

"...c-can I –I –is –is it okay if –I –"

Harry suddenly stopped, his breath rushing out of him and his face turning a pale, sickly shade. He jolted forward and shuddered, hunching in on himself and hugging his stomach while he whimpered in pain and shook his head rhythmically.

"Harry?!" Takimaru called, alarmed, and reached out for the boy's shoulder, only to draw back sharply with a gasp as his hand passed straight through. Harry started to cry, breathing harshly as his body flickered in and out of sight, like a lantern fuelled by too little oil. Harry's scared noises had nearly reached a fever pitch when all sound coming from him abruptly ceased, and with one last flicker Harry was no longer there.

Takimaru stared at the spot where Harry had been not a second before, and then hesitantly reached out to where Harry's shoulder had just been, making sure the child hadn't simply turned invisible. When the action yielded nothing, Takimaru shot out of his chair and through the door, taking to the halls with a speed he very rarely needed to utilize. Within minutes he was knocking on Aimaru's door, only barely restraining himself from barging in during the twenty seconds it took for his leader to answer.

"Taki? What's wrong?" Aimaru asked immediately, letting Takimaru into the room as soon as he registered his distressed expression. Takimaru struggled for the words, only just realizing what he had witnessed, but soon he managed to get them past his lips.

"Harry has disappeared!"


	7. Chapter 7

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Second surprise update chapter of two! Hope you're enjoying this!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

My headcanon is that Little Whinging is around the area of Englefield Green, Surrey. I know nothing of the actual area, but that's about the geographical location in my mind. More specifically, Cherrywood Avenue.

SPOILERS

Awareness returned to Harry suddenly, the cool darkness revealed to his eyes a sharp juxtaposition to the endless warmth and light he had only just been enveloped in. For one split second he thought he might still be in his room at the Gourmet Knight's Lodgings, that in a minute the world would come back into focus and he might see Takimaru sitting beside his bed or Aimaru walking in through the door. Then he shifted, and the familiar feeling of his bedroll underneath him and the ceiling close to his face cemented where he was.

Harry didn't even try to stop the tears.

It wasn't as if he hadn't thought it all to be a dream –such a lovely place couldn't be anything else –but now that it had been proven it was like a slap to the face. Harry had fallen asleep in that dream, he had eaten and used the loo and cried and seen someone else do freaky... use Gourmet Cells –and it had been so wonderful that now Harry wished he hadn't woken up again.

Harry wiped his face of the moisture and sat up, feeling stiff for some reason –probably from having run so much getting away from Dudley. He kept quiet until he was sure that there was no one else awake, and then he reached up to click his light on. He still couldn't see much, so he scrambled for his glasses, only realizing something was off when he finally slid them onto the bridge of his nose.

Beyond the fact that his glasses were immaculate and his vision was sharper than he was used to, he was still dressed in the shirt and pants that he had woken up with in the Lodgings guest room. Breathe quickening, Harry tested his arms, still feeling stiff but not the sore way he did after running, and inspecting his hand, he could still tell where Brunch had assessed his cells from the nearly black splotch going from his palm to his wrist.

"It wasn't a dream." Harry said out loud, to help himself believe it was true. "It _wasn't_."

Then why was he _back here?_ Why had he been brought back the same way he had left, this time wholly against his will and several times more painful, both physically and emotionally. Harry didn't _want_ to be back here with the Dursley's, back where he was denied food and Dudley picked on him constantly. He would _never_ want to be here, where Uncle Vernon tried his best to ignore him every day and Aunt Petunia glared and scowled and shoved him out into the cold.

What Harry wanted was to be back in Simple Diet Hill, back in the cozy guest room with its fuzzy sheets, and the stack of books he had started working his way through, helped along by Takimaru's patient coaching and insight. He wanted to be back there, where people he had never met made meals especially for him, and where freakishness wasn't something to hide and shame, but be embraced and honed. He wanted to be where strangers looked after his health, and fussed over him like a mother would, and talked to him like a friend... and were concerned for his wellbeing.

Harry wanted to be back where there was a person who _wanted_ him there.

Vvv

When Harry stumbled out of his cupboard the next morning, eyes red and body still heavy, he found his Aunt and Uncle waiting for him in the kitchen, both looking furious at his very presence, Dudley nowhere in sight.

"You!" Petunia said shrilly, making Harry flinch and draw into himself, resigned. His Aunt was standing beside her husband, a pinched look in her eye as she glared at Harry and placed her hands on her hips. Uncle Vernon was sitting at the table, looking for all as if he were nearly ready to leave for work, frowning severely at his nephew-by-marriage.

"Where in God's name did you scurry off to?! We don't see you for a week, and then Vernon comes to the kitchen only to find you passed out in the backyard?!" She shrieked; face darkening slightly and squaring her shoulders. "What would we have said if _they _had noticed?! Well? What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Harry swallowed thickly and hesitated; he wanted to answer very carefully, because when his Aunt got like this, she hated pussy-footing more than the truth. She said that edging around the issue only showed that he was predisposed to be a criminal like his parents. "I'm, sorry. I don't _know _where I went. I was... I was only gone for three days... I _swear_ I didn't –didn't _mean_ to leave, I promise."

Petunia's expression soured further, and she sneered at her nephew's cringing form. "More _freakishness_ then. Well, I will _not_ tolerate it. You are to stay in your cupboard the rest of the night, and there will be no dinner for a week. Is this going to happen again?"

"I'll tr-try not to, I will. But I couldn't stop it –when it happened." Harry answered meekly.

"Well then try harder, boy, or there will be hell to pay." Vernon told him flatly from behind his newspaper. "Now, do as your aunt tells you to."

Harry nodded morosely and swiftly went back to his cupboard, closing the door before him as softly as he could manage. His stomach growled faintly, more bearable than he was used to from the meals the Gourmet Knights had provided him, but an unwelcome reminder of what he would now have to endure again for however long.

With that thought swirling in his mind, Harry flopped back onto his bedroll and tried to fall asleep, knowing full well that it wasn't going to come easily to him anymore now that he had returned.

Vvv

During the week that had elapsed since Harry's return from Simple Diet Hill, there were two ways in which he had found to keep himself occupied. The first was that he remained holed up in his cupboard whether or not his Aunt had unlocked the door. He did this for the first two days whenever he was home from school, and it worked well enough for him –since he had been back, he had been feeling increasingly tired and lethargic, which worried Harry after a while as before he had been quite energetic. Though staying in the cupboard also had its downsides, as Dudley found great enjoyment in stomping down the stairs at every opportunity, and worst of all; the cupboard had started to bore him exceedingly well by the third night.

So on the fourth day back Harry had moved on to the second way to occupy himself, that being staying _out_ of the house from dawn until dusk, barring breakfast. It didn't afford him much time for napping or warmth, and he wasn't quite enjoying it as he still felt unnaturally tired, but he got to avoid the Dursley's and that was what was important.

The first thing he did upon releasing himself from solitude was, in fact, retracing his steps back to the forested patch where he had first disappeared to the Human World. It had taken the better part of a morning for him to scope out the rough patch of leaves he remembered, and it would take until late in the evening for him to leave. For hours he had attempted to recreate the same feeling of the last time he had been there –that same desperation or relief –but in the end nothing came of it. He didn't feel even an itch, and cried for a long time while he lay in his cupboard later on in the night, frustration and anger boiling over uncontrollably.

Harry tried to put it behind him then, being sent to the Human World by his fre... by his Gourmet Cells. Accept that he wouldn't go back, would never see the Knights or Simple Diet Hill again, so it would be less painful for him in the long run, so he wouldn't have to endure the disappointment and longing for as much time. But try as he might, Harry couldn't forget it –because he had wished for so long not to be alone before he had gone there, and now he was again. He had become used to it of course, as years of isolation from your peers was a difficult thing to ignore, but those three days had kindled in him a terrible, awful desire for love. Terrible because after all the easy hand holding, and hair mussing and gentle touches and words, he now felt real _longing_ for those things; when he had never known how they had felt, he had also never known any reason to miss them. It may have scared him some at the beginning, but Takimaru had sincerely worried and fussed, even _cared_, and Harry just _couldn't forget._

Harry was alone here; Uncle Vernon ignored him or yelled at him, Aunt Petunia (save for the occasional lapse) regarded him with neutral scorn and had struck him twice, both times at her very worst, but that hadn't happened in years. Dudley –when they had been smaller –hadn't been a bully; what he _had _been was a rather awkward and impressionable child, and he had never really learned when to tone his behaviour back and when to go on. Sometimes the old nature still shone through, like when they bickered harmlessly over who should fetch the mail, but the incidents were few and far between. Harry didn't remember when his cousin had changed, and sometimes he missed the old Dudley, but nowadays whenever the older boy _did_ pay him attention –it didn't make him feel special, it made him feel singled out.

So he avoided them by traipsing from one end of the neighbourhood to the next endlessly, keeping to himself as much as he could and growing so, so tired each day he did. When even that had grown boring, he found himself walking through the middle of an unfamiliar suburb, and ventured farther from Privet Drive then he ever had before, which by all miracles _did_ help. As soon as he was out of range by a few streets his mood improved and he could actually muster up some energy again –which was incredible as now he could wander out to the Soup Kitchen two neighbourhoods over to acquire dinner.

This carried him to the end of a week in number four, to that night's dinner at the kitchen table –the first supper he received in the house since his Uncle had found him in the backyard. It was an experience that he would gladly utilize his f- Gourmet Cells for if it meant he could escape the strained atmosphere and icy attitude from his Aunt. Dudley periodically kicked him in the same spot on the side of his leg, Uncle Vernon muttered about 'teenaged hooligans' who had disrupted his workday, and Aunt Petunia was silent, acting as if her nephew wasn't at the table at all.

Harry couldn't _help_ but ruminate on his meals at the Knight's Lodgings; the interesting food, Takimaru explaining things to him, never once getting angry, the promise of _more _that was continually and patiently repeated to him. These thoughts only depressed him, and as he stared into his plate of plain chicken, feeling as if he might fall asleep then and there, he almost didn't notice it at all... almost.

Harry sat up slowly, his eyes wide; disbelieving because it _couldn't_ be happening now, it couldn't be happening _again_. A gentle tugging behind his navel, dissimilar to the two times he had experienced it already, drew his gaze instantly; he stared down at his stomach even while there was bright, familiar light flickering at the edges of his vision. Unbeknownst to Harry, the light had garnered his family's attention as well, though it was different to how he perceived it.

"Wh-What are you _doing_, boy?!" Vernon yelled, startled by the soft yellow-green glow that was creeping into his nephew's glazed over eyes. Harry didn't respond, he merely tilted his partially obscured irises further downward, mouth falling open in awe at the sensation only he could feel. The Dursley's all jerked away from the table when he flickered out of sight for a brief moment –watching him intently, simultaneously appalled and yet unable to tear their eyes away. Then the eight year old flickered again and everything about him was still; his eyes glowed even in the brightly lit kitchen, and he didn't even appear to be breathing.

Harry could only see one thing; the wonderful, blessed realm of light and warmth that he had so yearned for the past seven days. His relatives weren't his priority anymore –indeed, he had forgotten they were in the room at all. As a cheerful whoosh blew into his face and he was in the cold, dark place for a split second –what he didn't know was that his body had blurred, flickered and then disappeared altogether from his family's kitchen, leaving behind nothing but an empty chair and a single, half eaten chicken breast on his plate.


	8. Chapter 8

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Surprise! Here's an update for everyone!

SPOILERS

Harry opened his eyes, blurry and crusted with sleep, and didn't recognize anything around him. He knew he wasn't at number four; being pulled away had felt far too real if painless this time, and that was diregarding the fact that there was nothing in number four that felt even remotely similar to whatever he was lying in. Yet at the same time he was sure that he wasn't in his room in the Lodgings, as everything was the wrong colour, and was far too noisy when he had grown used to the complete silence of the guest room. Once he finally gathered the energy to shift himself around, going to find his glasses, he experienced a great surprise when his bed _swung_ and he fell out of it and onto the floor.

"Owww..." Harry whimpered, rubbing gently at his smarting nose and pushing himself up into a sitting position. He waited a minute or two to let the stinging subside, meanwhile inspecting the floorboards intently –they were made of a bluish white wood and were like nothing he had seen before –and then he decided it was about time he found out exactly where he was.

Harry's eyes weren't the best; while he could see things far away from him he couldn't navigate even the nearest fifteen feet, and he had a bad habit of focusing on what was in the foreground instead of the background like he should. Fumbling around the room, Harry had to wonder if there was an ingredient that could fix his eyes... and resolved to ask Takimaru once he had found the man again.

When he finally stumbled upon the spectacles on a side table near the door and slid them back on, he took his time inspecting the room he had been sleeping in for who knows how long. The 'bed' he had fallen out of was actually a hammock hanging next to another one off in the far corner, and beside that was a window, through which came the sounds of cheering and yelling. The rest of the room was unremarkable to Harry for the most part, with a dresser, a desk, a few cushy chairs and a coffee table littering the floor haphazardly. The only thing he noted was the colouring, in that all the wood matched the blue white of the floors and the fabrics all matched the salmon pink of the walls.

Harry glanced at the open window momentarily, and then walked over to the only door in the room, socked feet making minimal noise, the clothes the Knights had given him shielding him from the cool breeze that threatened to make him shiver. He was nervous about snooping around in a strange house, worried that he would get yelled at or worse if he was caught, but in this case his curiosity far outweighed his anxiety. With a light step and a swivelling head, Harry steeled himself and pushed the door open completely.

The room past the door was a kitchen and dining room, similar to what the Dursley's had in their house but about three times as large and with more than three quarters of the space being the kitchen. There was a lot of counter space, lower than Harry was used to –he could actually reach these even with how puny he was – and three enormous refrigerators on the far wall, each covered with notes and magnets and other such things. Shelves lined the two walls nearest him, full of wrestling paraphernalia and cook books, and there were cooking utensils and pans hanging from the ceiling on overhead racks, far out of Harry's reach. The entire place was done up in an eye jarring clash of white, salmon and dark green, with the only other door in the room being painted black and the countertops being yellow.

The racket still going on outside dimmed briefly, and Harry padded into the middle of the room, thinking hard. If there had been any doubt before there certainly wasn't any now –Harry wasn't in any place he knew, though he hoped he was at least still in the Human World, which Takimaru had told him was far easier to navigate than the Gourmet World was. Harry wondered, somewhat hopelessly, if he would find Takimaru at all, in this part of the planet where Tokumaru had said held a population of thirty billion people. The person who lived here might not even know who the Gourmet Knights were, or where Simple Diet Hill was, they might not even speak English, and he didn't know if anyone in the Human World knew Punjabi (even though he himself didn't know much more than a grade school level either).

"Don't be a moron! I'll be right back!" Harry stiffened as a gruff, deep voice boomed out just before the black door burst open, smacking into the wall loudly; he didn't even have the time to hide before the owner (presumably) strode inside and stopped dead at the sight of him.

Harry was continually being impressed by the eccentric appearances of those in the Human World; the man was only about a head taller than Harry, which explained the low countertops, and had black hair like him, but that was where the similarities abruptly cut off. He was dressed in an orange wife beater and a bright red speedo, and the upper half of his face was hidden by a pink and black luchador mask. He had skin several shades lighter than Harry's, as most people here seemed to, but had incredibly hairy arms and legs, and his mane of hair swept out from underneath his mask all the way down to his mid thighs. He was staring at Harry in shock, mouth hanging and eyes wide, but it was when Harry fidgeted under his gaze that he exploded.

"AAAH! Ya moron!" He bellowed while pointing at him, not moving any closer but still causing Harry to flinch back. The man paused to take a breath and then continued on, with less volume but just as much gusto. "I dunno if you're hurt or not ya moron! So don't be a moron and don't strain yourself!"

"I-I'm sorry." Harry offered weakly, glad the man wasn't shouting so much, even if it seemed to have been brought about by concern. "I feel fine... I just –didn't know where I was."

The man's face softened a bit and he sighed, sitting down on the floor easily and gesturing for Harry to sit in front of him. "Well, at least ya weren't a _complete_ moron." He nodded at his own statement, waiting until Harry was sitting to talk again. "Right now you're in my restaurant, Fortune-Telling Sushi Monchy. I'm Monchy, and I found ya lying in my wrestling ring about half a day ago now. Who're you, besides a moron?"

Harry straightened, not so much afraid of the weird old man anymore but wanting to make a good impression on the _owner_ of a restaurant, now that he knew the other had helped him.

"My name is Harry. I'm sorry I was in your –your wrestling ring, but Mr. Brunch says I'm doing something like changing stuff I touch –with my Gourmet Cells, and Mr. Aimaru told me something like that too, so they brought me here, I think." Monchy raised a hidden eyebrow at the explanation, recognizing 'Brunch' but wondering where he had heard the name 'Aimaru' before. "Thank you very much, for helping me, Mr. Monchy. Please, do you know where –where Simple Diet Hill is?"

"Course I do, I ain't a moron!" Monchy exclaimed, mind quickly connecting the dots. "My brother Nonchy is the mayor of Eco Land. So, you must be the kid those Gourmet Knight morons are all up-in-arms about lately, huh?"

Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times, silently uncomprehending of both his great luck and what Monchy had told him. "They're worried? About me?"

"Don't be a moron, moron!" Monchy said heatedly. "They practically got everyone they _know_ lookin' for ya! IGO, Hunters, Chefs, the works! I'd've done somethin' too if my fortune-telling wasn't only good for ingredients, moron!"

Hearing this made something tug at Harry's throat, so similar to when he cried but also tingly and so, so pleasant. The eight year old sniffed a little but no tears escaped him, only a bright smile and a moment of bubbly, relieved laughter. Monchy didn't acknowledge the happy reaction beyond averting his eyes pointedly and scratching at his chin in thought.

"Please –Mr. Monchy, do you know how I can get back to Simple Diet Hill from here? I don't want them to worry, and I left before I could tell Takimaru something important. I –I really need to tell him!"

Monchy didn't speak right away, which made Harry think that he might have said something wrong, but then the chef smiled patiently at his guest. "I can't take ya myself, got too much work piling up, but I _can_ get them to come here and get ya. It should only take 'em a couple of days."

"Really?! Thank you so much!" Harry exclaimed, smiling brightly but bowing his head to stare at his hands; he had never thanked someone so enthusiastically before, it made him a tad embarrassed. Monchy just laughed and stood, helping Harry climb to his feet as well.

"Don't be a moron, no thanks needed. Now, come here and help me move this last ingredient outside, those morons want my Ehou Maki to fall soon and this is the last thing it needs!" Nodding, Harry practically ran up to the old man to assist him, so pleased with how things were going that the thought of refusing never even crossed his mind.

He would be going back soon!


	9. Chapter 9

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

SPOILERS

Aimaru closed the door to Takimaru's room as softly as he could manage, holding his breath so as not to wake the despondent and _finally_ sleeping Knight he had just left. The courtyard down below was dark and silent in the early morning, but was not as empty as he had expected it to be. Aimaru offered Tsukimaru and Kagemaru a strained smile, sighed and then scrubbed at his face with his hands. He pushed his dishevelled hair out of his face, gave one parting look at Takimaru's door, and then motioned for his comrades to follow him as he silently jumped down, and then walked through the open area towards his own rooms in the administrative building.

The search for little Harry was not going well.

"What do you have?" Aimaru asked promptly once they were safely ensconced inside his office, not bothering to wait to sit before he did. Tsukimaru shook his head once, and Aimaru chose not to push; the IGO and Gourmet Police hadn't turned anything up. Kagemaru was the one to speak, tone even and expression as sympathetic to Aimaru's current state as it was ever going to get.

"Toriko-san called me a few hours ago." Aimaru focused completely on his scarred friend and nodded for him to go on. "He has ventured as far into the Gourmet World as his current abilities allow... he could not find even a trace of Ha-kun's scent. The only areas he has picked it up remain the same as before."

"It makes no sense." Aimaru muttered only half to himself. "Brunch already ascertained the nature of his cells. Gourmet Cells don't just –they've never shown the capacity for teleportation before now –it's unheard of."

"Eliminate all other possibilities barring the unknown..." Tsukimaru murmured soothingly, leaning forward to pat Aimaru's arm like he had since they were kids; Aimaru sighed again and reciprocated the gesture.

"...I also received a call from a Gourmet Mafia member named Ram." Kagemaru continued slightly awkwardly, still unsure about how to handle concrete evidence that one of their members was... friendly with such people. "They have scoured Nerg and the Jidar Kingdom, and found nothing. You did not miss much whilst staying with Takimaru."

When Takimaru had hammered on his door, distressed and shocked at his own account of Harry's disappearance, Aimaru had wasted no time in gathering the third tier Knights and contacting the authorities about the missing child. According to Kagemaru, Takimaru had made several calls of his own during Aimaru and Brunch's examination of the guest room, and one of those calls had been to the leader of the Gourmet Mafia himself, Match. It was a connection that many had wondered on, but had been given no substance until that moment, and explained Takimaru's interest in Nerg and Jidar the last few years with startling ease.

And it was indeed as if their young guest had simply blinked out of existence, not a thing left behind of him save for the too large clothes he had originally been found in. While Brunch left to find Toriko at Aimaru's own request, the Knight's leader had stayed to try and soothe the fallout from Takimaru's attachment to the child. It wasn't often he involved himself in such things –Satoumaru was still a registered Gourmet Therapist –but he felt it was more than warranted when it concerned his own son.

"Taki can't _take_ this." Aimaru said despairingly, thinking back to the few minutes he had waited for the younger man while Takimaru was finishing a personal call. In his naiveté he had briefly thought that maybe Takimaru had grown too far to need his comfort anymore. As soon as the call ended, Aimaru found out how wrong he had been to think such a thing.

"Takimaru is tough, and he is pulling through." Kagemaru told him firmly. "He has experienced enough loss in his life that he knows how to deal with it properly –this will not destroy him. Until Ha-kun is found, all anyone can do for him is to lend him their support, something you have been giving unconditionally, Ai."

Aimaru was silent, and then let out a long, slow breath. "You're right. I'm being foolish, of course Takimaru is strong. I think sometimes I can't help but remember him from back then instead of seeing how he is now."

The trio was quiet for some time, not knowing of what else to say with another day of anxious waiting on the horizon. Aimaru only hoped that Takimaru could find it in him to sleep another few hours; with how little he'd been sleeping lately, if he woke up so soon it would be nigh impossible for him to go back. The Knight leader was just about ready to tell his friends to go and get some sleep of their own, when he was startled out of his tiredness by the sudden blaring of the phone on his desk.

"Hello? This is Aimaru speaking."

"Wait just a minute, ya idiot! Now what do I press..."

"N-Nonchy-san?" Aimaru said, bewildered, but waited as told, listening intently as there was a soft click and the voice on the other end switched from the mayor to a gruff sound, like someone clearing their throat.

"This is Monchy from Fortune-Telling Sushi Monchy. I've got that little lost moron of yours here with me now."

And Aimaru froze in shock just like that. It was so, so rare that situations ever resolved themselves this easily –for Nonchy's own brother –for someone as well informed as–

"Ha-chan is there? May I speak to him?"Aimaru tried to keep his composure, but a thread of worry worked its way into his words nonetheless –he had to confirm Monchy's claim with his own ears before anything else could be done. The eccentric chef told him to wait (muttering 'moron' as he did), and behind him Kage and Tsuki moved closer in an attempt to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Mr. Aimaru? Is that you? It's –It's Harry." Aimaru let out a great rush of air in relief; Harry was safe, Takimaru would begin recovering and now all he had to worry about was getting his distressed protégé to Skill Garden as soon as possible.

"Ha-chan! Are you alright?" Aimaru asked, a mite less calmly than he had intended –but if Harry had gone back to his family as he had theorized (there was no way Monchy wouldn't contact them straight away), then it was the best question he could think to ask. "We've all been so worried, especially Takimaru. You sit tight, we'll be coming to get you just as soon as we can."

The child miles away from them hiccupped, trying to hold in his emotion. "I'm, I'm okay, Mr. Aimaru. I'm sorry for worrying you. How –How long will it-" Harry choked on the question.

"We can be there within two days, Ha-chan. Until then, you just stay with Monchy-san and be good, alright?" Aimaru gripped the phone tightly and tried to convey his relief through the line. "Eat properly and do what he asks of you, we'll be there soon. I would let Taki talk to you, but he's exhausted –can you wait to see him?"

There was a minute of sniffling on Harry's end, but then his voice spoke up clearer and brighter than ever. "I can wait! And I promise to be good, I'll eat and help Mr. Monchy with his cooking and clean and do what he asks until you get here! So-" Here Harry cut off his earnest babbling rather suddenly. "-so, please get here, soon."

"I promise." Aimaru told him seriously. "It must be nearing the evening where you are –go on and get some sleep unless Monchy-san needs help with anything, okay?"

"...okay. See you soon, Mr. Aimaru."

After Aimaru placed the phone down onto its stand, he stood in silence for a long moment, letting the relief wash over him, taking with it all the bitter doubts and thoughts of failure he had endured these last two weeks. Kagemaru and Tsukimaru were waiting expectantly when he regained the wherewithal to turn back to them –Aimaru wondered if it was concern for Takimaru that made his friends so vehement in their recent search. Even with Takimaru's now confirmed allegiances to the Gourmet Mafia, they were steadfast; it was something that Aimaru hadn't thought twice about (with his being a friend to 'The Glutton') but he knew it would give some others cause for distrust.

"Kage, would you go and let everyone know that Ha-chan has been found? I'd also like you to contact whoever was called in on favours –Toriko firstly, if you would, though belay letting the Gourmet Mafia know –I have a feeling Taki would be the better choice to do that." The scarred Knight nodded once and left swiftly without so much as a by-your-leave. "Tsuki, please go through as much due process as you are able to with the IGO and the Gourmet Police, and have a representative meet with me on the Express train sometime before Taki and I reach Skill Garden. Also, please take care of any other organization that may have taken interest –the Provider's Guild in particular. I'm going to leave you in charge while I'm off retrieving Ha-chan; I'm counting on you."

"I'll do my best, Ai." Tsukimaru replied quietly, tilting his head before he as well vacated the office. Aimaru spent a few short minutes in his quarters; finding his away bag, leaving out his contact lists for Tsukimaru and the rest, before he decided all was well and he started back over Takimaru's room.

He _had_ been hoping that his protégé could get a few more hours of sleep if possible, but now that Takimaru's charge had been located Aimaru thought it more prudent to get him up and on the train as quickly as he could. His ills would be calmed, he could sleep on the way there without having to worry, and would benefit more in the long run as opposed to if he had been left to sleep for several more hours. It seemed like no time at all had passed before he was striding back into Takimaru's room, flicking the lights on and causing the groggy man on the bed to bolt upright with a confused groan.

"Aimaru? What's happened, is everything alright?" Takimaru sputtered once he had untangled himself from his bed sheets, staring at his leader and none-too-subtly flattening down his hair to cover his eye.

"Ha-chan's been found, Taki."

The younger man stilled instantly, processing the sentence; when it finally registered he was a flurry of movement, practically jumping off of the mattress to scramble for a clean shirt.

"He was? Where? From your pack, he's not anywhere nearby. He isn't –he isn't _hurt_ is he?" Takimaru pulled on his travelling boots and reached for his away bag. "Aimaru-san?"

"Calm down, Taki." Aimaru said as his son put on a jacket and shrugged his bag onto his shoulders. "Ha-chan was found by Monchy-san over at Fortune-Telling Sushi Monchy, and he called me a few minutes ago to let me know. I spoke with Ha-chan and as far as he has told me, he is alright, if a bit distraught that we won't be there for another two days."

Nodding, Takimaru turned to his father figure, grateful that the older man had woken him despite the obvious dark circles still under his eyes and his less than graceful footwork. They made their way to the stables swiftly, the only words spoken along the way being the ones Aimaru directed at a few members he had specific requests of while they were away.

Takimaru was tired, emotionally worn out and both starving and thirsty, but right now he could put all that aside until they were on the train and on their way to the 'Artisan Forest'. As they rode out towards Eco Land and the Gourmet Express Train, Takimaru began thinking of all the things he would have to do now –what with Harry's erratic(?) cells –especially if this was going to become a regular occurrence.

(He hoped it didn't.)


	10. Chapter 10

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Hey guys! While I do really enjoy the few reviews I get, there is one kind that I actually _dislike_. It is the ones that consist of only 'hurry and update' or some variation of that, especially when it comes directly after I've posted a new chapter. I'm sure there are some writers who would take that as encouragement and work harder, but for me it makes me want to write even _less._ I don't know if I'm just being too sensitive, but in the future could anyone inclined to leave a review like that on one of my stories please _not do so?_ Thanks so much!

SPOILERS

Takimaru and Aimaru arrived in the 'Artisan Forest' just after lunchtime, a little under two days since they had boarded the Gourmet Express Train in Eco Land. The long ride had given the two Knights enough time to further sort out Harry's affairs, what with Takimaru having called Match the moment they had been on their way and Aimaru meeting with an IGO official halfway through the journey. It had taken some amount of hours to go through the appropriate paperwork for just Takimaru's guardianship, but there had been a number of new forms and reports to fill out now as well. All manner of documents, about Harry's Gourmet Cells, his location, his former residence and his treatment, doctor's records and an appointment to register his Gourmet ID, and then formal statements about the contingencies to ensure the child's safety should this happen again.

Takimaru had only been present for the most important of those forms, having finally passed out once his adrenaline had run its course, and only woken up two other times the entire journey; once to eat and the other when they had been ten minutes inbound to Skill Garden's station.

Now that they were here, Takimaru's anxiety had risen again, simmering below his skin as it tended to –spurning him into fast, calculated movements through the throngs of people crowding the platform. Aimaru laid a hand on Takimaru's shoulder once they had cleared the station, hoping to calm him enough that he didn't accidentally startle Harry when they saw him. They didn't really know how his time away (with his relatives or otherwise) had affected him, no matter how he had sounded over the phone; Takimaru being anything other than perfectly calm might not go over very well. The younger man smiled sheepishly at his leader and slowed to a halt, taking a few seconds to perform a watered down version of his pre-shot routine that many Knights utilized for everyday focus.

"Sorry, Aimaru-san, I'll be fine now." Takimaru said after taking a shallow breath. "I just can't stop thinking, and once that happens my body goes on a sort of auto-pilot. It started after Ice Hell and has happened a few times during my periods in Nerg City –it annoys Match-san to no end, let me tell you."

"It happens to everyone Taki. Just remember to think of Ha-chan first, as your personal experience might not carry you the entire way. Parenthood, especially unexpected, will often leave you floundering about things you thought you knew, let alone things you don't." The pair set out again, this time at a more relaxed pace, Takimaru following in his leader's wake and mulling over his advice. When they got further from the station they started to run into Skill Garden's signature specialty restaurants and art shops; there was a cluster of businesses before their ultimate destination, but even from here they could already see the Ehou Maki that Monchy was sought after for, rising above the 'Artisan Forest' like a tower.

They stuck to the path but kept their eyes on the enormous sushi roll while they drew closer, eventually catching the sounds of loud cheers and excited yelling coming from the base of the fortune telling food. There was no sound of an announcer yet, which told them more than anything else that they still had a ways to go. Takimaru kept himself calm, and focused on Aimaru's back the rest of the way, not particularly wanting to look around and risk getting ahead of himself.

"I can't believe it! Look at that!" A familiar voice trickled into their ears once they passed a bend in the road, magnified through a speaker so they could hear it clearly but still not see the hyped up owner of the shout. "Hit with a spray! The –uh –Sugar Vinegar Blinding Spray! He has the Ehou Maki backed into a corner!"

"That can't be who I think it is." Aimaru said, but he was grinning at Takimaru, looking about ready to laugh.

"I think it _is_." Takimaru chuckled at the loud roar from the nearly visible crowd in the distance.

"And –And now he's wrapping the Ehou Maki in his finishing move! The Reverse Rice Suplex Wrap! The Ehou Maki is begging for mercy –it's done for!"A deafening cheer rose as the towering sushi roll was wrapped all at once, and then there was silence. The two Gourmet Knights stopped at the edge of the crowd to observe the Ehou Maki's iconic fall, an event that made all the spectators and the surrounding structures wobble and shake from the sheer weight of the thing. Once the clients started to eat, the audience began dissipating, and the pair finally caught sight of Monchy lifting Harry down from a high stool, the eight year old clutching a piece of paper that was likely a list of Monchy's wrestling moves. The boy was dressed in a well fitting pastel pink polo and brown capris, and fairly glowed from the compliments that some of the passersby gave him on his announcing, looking more at ease than when he'd disappeared from the guest bedroom.

"Don't be a moron, ya did great! Better than the moron from last time, I can tell ya that!" Monchy was saying loudly, making the child beside him giggle and smile at the praise. Monchy tilted his head slightly to the side and grinned when he saw the quietly approaching men. "Don't look now, moron." He said to Harry. "But I think a couple of your morons just showed up."

Harry stood there unmoving while Takimaru and Aimaru stopped advancing a few paces behind him. The adults saw him take a deep breath before whirling around, fixing his eyes on Takimaru and stilling again like a deer in the headlights; it made the first tier Knight laugh slightly to see it.

"Two days, like we promised Ha-kun." Takimaru said; Harry's expression brightened like the sun, and he let out a small happy sound before darting forward to grasp at Takimaru's hands, holding them tightly between his own and forcing the Knight to stoop low.

"Taki-niisan!" Harry blurted out, and Takimaru's face was one of pure shock –when did –had Monchy taught him that? For once Harry didn't notice the change of the man's expression, as he kept smiling brilliantly and went on. "You're here, you're here! I was good like I said, I helped with cooking and Monchy-ji let me announce for his wrestling-cooking –and I leant lots of stuff about lots of ingredients and –y –you're _here_!" Tears started to drip out of his eyes, and even though he was still smiling he began sniffing and blinking rapidly as well. "I –I want to live with you, Taki-niisan! Really, I really do! I wan-anted to tell you –before I left but –but I couldn't and –and-"

"Oh, Harry." Takimaru felt a surge of affection –was this what Aimaru felt towards him, that the older man would call him his son? Harry dissolved into hiccupping sobs and Takimaru extracted his hands from the child's grasp, pulling Harry to him and hugging him around the shoulders while the eight year old clutched at his shirt.

"Maybe we should go inside, have some tea –Monchy-san?" Aimaru asked the chef.

"Just about to suggest that, ya moron. Come on." The old man replied gruffly. Takimaru scooped Harry up and stood, following after the other two at a sedate pace so that his passenger could have more time to calm down. The past two weeks had been filled with stress, worry and self doubt for the Knight, but now that he could _see_ Harry, comfort him and talk to him, Takimaru was surprised to find that it had all vanished. There was still an underlying anxiety –they didn't know if or when Harry would phase out of their lives again –but he could manage that just fine now.

"Is –Is calling you 'Taki-niisan' alright?" Harry whispered, face turned away but the back of his neck tinged so dark as to look unhealthy. "Monchy-ji told me all about honorifics after I asked what 'Ha-chan' meant –and I just thought-"

"You can call me _whatever_ you like to, Ha-kun. In fact, you should call Aimaru-san with Ai-ojiisan, I think he would rather like that." Takimaru assured, only partly teasing (the Knight's leader really was as good as Harry's grandfather now). "And as to what you said, about wanting to live with me –as soon as we get back to Simple Diet Hill, you will be."

Takimaru felt Harry nod against his shoulder as they entered Monchy's home –the dining room as opposed to the restaurant. The eccentric chef was already bustling away with the kettle and a small platter of food suited to the Gourmet Faith, so Takimaru took Harry over to join Aimaru at the table in the middle of the room.

He accepted the cloth Monchy offered him once everyone was seated, and deftly wiped Harry's face while the tea was being poured. By the time the group had settled, Harry was calmer –if a little puffy eyed –and sat in his own chair next to Takimaru, nibbling on a Black Bonnet Cookie.

"Ha-chan, can you tell us what happened two weeks ago?" Aimaru began easily, sipping at the tea; Garnet Lemon was a favourite among their ranks for its easy and natural preparation, and he was no exception. Harry nodded, focusing on Takimaru and Monchy before turning back to the Gourmet Knight's leader.

"I was lying down, talking with Taki-niisan after Brunch-san left, when the light came." Harry said this all slowly, trying to remember it exactly –but he didn't really want to remember it, and so it came slowly. "It hurt a lot, like before I left Little Whinging. It got dark and cold, and I was scared, but then the nice light came back and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was back in my cupboard. Aunt Petunia said that Uncle Vernon found me asleep in the backyard, and that I'd been gone a week." Monchy muttered the word 'cupboard' as if he had never heard it before, and Aimaru briefly closed his eyes.

"I didn't stay at number four too much. I felt really, really tired all week, but I didn't want to be there so I stayed awake. When I got a ways away from Privet Drive I always felt better, so I walked around outside all day when I wasn't at school. Because I used my G-Gourmet Cells, I didn't get any dinner all week, and the first dinner I got from my aunt –it happened again, but it didn't hurt this time. Monchy-ji said he found me in his wrestling ring."

The explanation was simple and probably left a lot of things unsaid, and it was just what the two Knights had expected. Takimaru wasn't going to pry –if Harry wanted to tell him something then he would in his own time –so instead he nodded and added to the mental list he was amassing of preparations for a possible repeat of the situation.

"No one hurt you while you were there? Did your relatives do anything else to mistreat you?"

"Dudley was kicking me under the table, but that's it."

Aimaru was relieved that Harry hadn't suffered irreversible daharmmage from his stint back in his relative's home, but he knew it would still take a long time to repair all the existing damage done. "So, tell us, Ha-chan, what did Monchy-san teach you that had you so excited?" Aimaru changed the subject for now, smiling at the cheerful expression on the eight year old's face.

"Monchy-ji let me help with cooking his really small Fortune Sushi! He taught me how to cook a bunch of different types of rice and told me all about some of the live ingredients people've brought him!" Harry gushed promptly, staring at the old man with a bright smile. "I've always cooked at home, but Monchy-ji helped me so I liked it this time. And everyone who came into the restaurant for a meal were always really nice to me –even the older ladies! I thought they might not be, 'cause no one in Privet Drive can stand me for very long, but they said I was cute and asked if I wanted to hear some stories."

_It's not just his family?_ Takimaru thought, incredulous. _What kind of place does Harry live in, that the _community_ would treat a small child badly for his Gourmet Cells? Perhaps an area that has had bad experience with users in the past?_

Harry didn't notice Takimaru's thoughts, and continued on with gusto. "Monchy-ji showed me some of the shops too, I got to have Fissure Tea at the Steaming Kettle because he said it would help me get better faster! We picked out new clothes, and Monchy-ji bought me new shoes too –see?" Here, Harry pushed out his chair and displayed the sturdy, black slip-ons they hadn't noticed before.

"That was very kind of you, Monchy-san." Aimaru said, making the chef bluster and cross his arms.

"Ya _moron_! I couldn't let the little moron wander around barefoot and stinkin'! 'Sides, I ain't hurtin' for money." Monchy grumbled the last part, hoping the moron didn't insist on thanking him further. Aimaru just smiled serenely and turned back to regard Harry, just as the eight year old perked up and called out to him.

"Ai-ojiisan, when are we going back to Simple Diet Hill?"

Takimaru chuckled at the look on his leader's face.


	11. Chapter 11

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Thank you for the nice reviews! I'm really sorry I don't update more often, but with working and college I almost never have any time! Nonetheless, lately I've been making more of an effort to sit down and get this on the way, so I've decided to update my stories in celebration!

**Wicken25 **If I had made this fic any earlier in my writing career I might not have given Harry Gourmet Cells either, I definitely know where you're coming from. But lately I've sort of grown to love clichés and I figured, why not? I've not really made it a habit so trying it out has been rather fun : It will be given a bit more explanation later on so I hope you stick with me in the meantime!  
**Myread88** I'm super glad you like this story even if it might have spoiled some of the future things for you (sorry 'v'). Your review was the one that pushed me into posting this, so I hope you continue enjoying the story even though I don't really show Aimaru's reaction (ps, he thinks it's cute).

And so, on to the story!

SPOILERS

Due to the sheer size of the influx of tourists the Gourmet Train brought with it to Skill Garden, there had been a long standing agreement between the station and businesses that after the noon train left, the one from the oncoming direction would delay its arrival until noon the next day, and then there would be two days with no trains set to arrive. Luckily for Harry, the train that Aimaru and Takimaru had boarded had been the former of the two, and so they only ended up staying at Fortune-Telling Sushi Monchy for the one night. Harry was eager to get back to Simple Diet Hill, of course, but that didn't stop him from being very sad that he would now have to leave Monchy, whom he had grown to like very much in the two days he had stayed with him.

"For the nth time, I don't mind, ya little moron!" Monchy reiterated on the station platform, ruffling Harry's hair firmly but grinning despite. "Ya've got my number, so call whenever! 'Specially if your moronic Cells act up again and you're nearby! Got it?!" Harry nodded and adjusted the new back pack he and Takimaru had picked out for him (inside it was the paper with Monchy's phone number on it, his extra clothes, and a Citrus Banana), squeezing the Knight's hand as he did and drawing a smile from the man.

"We'll make sure he can visit sometime, Monchy-san. Thank you again for your hospitality." Takimaru said, bowing slightly before looking over to the station's large clock. "We best be boarding. Come on, Ha-kun."

"Okay. Bye, Monchy-ji!" Harry bowed as well and waved as they entered the train, and was quiet up until they had reached their small compartment halfway down the carriage. The trip being two days, the little room had three bunks bolted into the far wall, a table surrounded on three sides by cushioned seats underneath a large window, and an attached bathroom. While Harry clambered onto the far couch to stare out of the window, Takimaru stowed their luggage in the closet and then followed Aimaru to the table as well.

The first few hours of the train ride passed in relative ease; Harry alternated between excited window watching and fidgety reading, and they visited the train's cafeteria car around suppertime. Aimaru worked through a stack of forms during that time and Takimaru occupied himself by describing where they were passing by, helping Harry with unfamiliar words or concepts in his books, or doing reading of his own. Both adults were waiting until Harry had fallen asleep to discuss the elephant in the room, so they could work out the finer points of it without having to worry about being interrupted.

When Harry passed out around seven in the evening, tuckered from his own enthusiasm and his full stomach, Takimaru took a few minutes to transfer him over to the lowest of the three bunks before he rejoined his leader at the table. Just finishing up the last of an IGO report, Aimaru didn't speak for a moment.

"He's very energetic." Takimaru commented fondly, a noise of agreement sounding from his leader. "I wonder if it isn't something to do with his cells –he said he felt chronically tired while at his relatives and more awake while out of the house, and here he has barely been able to sit still."

"I've thought about it, last night." Aimaru said. "His cells may be linked more directly to his emotions than others. He didn't want to be at his relatives; therefore his depressed mood slowed his Gourmet Cells down, resulting in even more of a lacklustre state until he was able to gain a reprieve. He is happy to be back, so apply the same concept. It only means that along with meditation, we should teach him how to manage his emotions properly for each scenario."

"It's really all conjecture at this point." Takimaru pointed out. "Until Ha-kun is able to feel his cells out on his own, we won't know for sure what is happening to him, even with Brunch-san's assessment offering guidelines. And it seems that it is going to happen again, before he can gain mastery of his abilities."

"We will prepare him the best we can. We have already been doing so, in a way." Aimaru said diplomatically, folding the forms up and stowing them in one of the little drawers underneath the table. "His check up with Amara-san is the day after we return, and his Gourmet ID registry the day following that, so his health we can put out of our minds for the time being. You were asleep when I made the statements, but I have already set into motion several fall backs should this happen to Ha-chan again."

"You have?" Takimaru had suspected, but it was a relief to hear it confirmed. "What sorts of fall backs?"

"The IGO and Gourmet Police have a watch bulletin prepared in advance, to put it in motion we only have to call them. Once Toriko returns from his and Komatsu-san's impromptu vacation, I'm going to ask him to familiarize himself with Ha-chan's scent and cells, so he can locate him from far off if the need arises." Aimaru listed calmly. "On our front, I have prepared a letter for him to give to his aunt and uncle if it comes to that... strongly worded is putting it mildly. I will have a talk with him about all of this, perhaps after his Gourmet ID registry, and you'll be taking him to get essentials for his bag –clothes, a sleeping mat, map and tools –as well, I've already sketched out a tentative schedule for lessons. He'll have to start on meditation, focus training and emotion management firstly, so he doesn't lose control of his cells accidentally, and once he gets a grip on those I plan on starting him on his Gourmet Cell manipulation, geography, compass and map reading, survival skills and basic cooking knowledge."

"How do you _do_ it, Aimaru-san? I had only thought of half of those things, and certainly not to stagger their introduction." Takimaru waved off his own question and sighed. "What is there left for me to do for Ha-kun?"

"You only need to be there for him. What Ha-chan needs, more than preparation, is someone to watch out for him and guide him, love him, like a father would. What if I said he needed to be your top priority, Taki?"

"I _want_ him to be my top priority."

Aimaru sat and thought on his son's words for a few minutes, and then he leaned across the table and took Takimaru's hands in his, smiling with an almost apologetic glint in his eyes. "...You know, when you came back from Ice Hell, I thought that something had changed. How _stubborn_ you were, how _bold_, making me realize I should take that Life medicine, making me see how foolish I was acting; dear Acacia, I'm forever grateful you did. Then you were at the Cooking Festival, and I saw something else." Takimaru blushed and smiled awkwardly, unsure of where this was heading. "You fought alongside the Gourmet Mafia and Gourmet Hunters without a second thought, and you had become stronger, much stronger than you had been before I fell ill. Toriko left to retrieve Komatsu-san, and I had never seen you work so hard before, I had never known you to be so dedicated..."

"Aimaru-san?"

"Looking at you now, I truly feel a fool. How could I not have seen how far you've come?" Aimaru shook his head and squeezed Takimaru's fingers. "I didn't see it after all the time you spent in Nerg and Jidar, working tirelessly with the Mafia and the IGO. Not after the months you spent with that Teppei, coordinating with the younger generation of Gourmet Revivers. Not even when you came home carrying Ha-chan, straight backed and gentle and _more_ than you had ever been before. How short sighted I have been... Taki, you have long since earned a place in the second tier, can you ever forgive me?"

Takimaru stared at his leader in shock for a good thirty seconds, hands slipping out of his hold without his knowledge as he tried to process what the other man had just said to him. "There's nothing to forgive." Was the first thing he said; immediately, faintly, like he was convincing himself just as much. Then, "Aimaru-san –you think –am I really _ready_?"

"Mm. The mere fact you are unsure means you are." Aimaru held a closed fist over his smile and let out a slow breath, thinking about his next words. "You... asked me to keep you in first tier until you had reached your full potential, because you felt it was expected of you. Taki, you have grown far beyond first tier, far above that which you seem to have set as your limit. I want you to _continue_ to grow; first tier is there for those who want stability or a place to thrive, second tier is for those who see their own flaws and will –_want _to rise above them. Accept my judgement; surpass your limits, keep on with your own endeavours, and take the time to learn how to see Ha-chan as your son."

"...I will. Thank you, Aimaru-san, for this opportunity." Takimaru lowered his head in a bow, still sitting with his hands outstretched on the table. "Ha-kun will be my top priority. I'll have to call Match-san and Teppei-san about reorganizing our efforts for the next few months at _least_. I'll be the one to take charge of his meditation and focus lessons; I may not be an expert at much but this I know how to teach. And I'll _also_ have to write to these... relatives of Harry's." Takimaru glanced over at the still sleeping child and a dark glint bloomed in his good eye. "Would you mind terribly if I looked over the letter you've already made up? Just so I don't... retread any old ground."

Aimaru stared for a minute before shaking his head. "How _did_ I miss it?"

Vvv

They were greeted upon their arrival in Eco Land in the early evening by their two horses and the eccentric masked man himself, Nonchy. Harry had taken one look at him and his eyes had gone as wide as saucers, until Aimaru had introduced Nonchy as Monchy's brother and the mayor of the town they stood in. That had endeared the eight year old to the pseudo-wrestler well enough, and after a well deserved meal accompanied by a brief tour of the town for Harry's benefit, the trio had climbed onto their horses and set off at a steady trot towards Simple Diet Hill. For the entire journey Harry was filled with a nervous energy and could barely stand to sit still for even a minute; not only was he going back to where he had tentatively begun thinking of as his _home_, but he was also currently travelling by horse. That was something Harry was sure that Dudley had never gotten to do.

The first time Harry saw the outside of the Gourmet Knight's base and lodgings, sometime around eight in the evening, he didn't even know what it was he was looking at.

The two distinct buildings had been carved directly into the cliff, the nearest one being four stories tall with its facade lying flat, while the building a dozen or so feet to its left was a semi circle of doors and open halls five stories high, bending inwards so that there was a small courtyard sheltered by walls of sheer rock*. The wood that made up the outsides of the buildings was a warm, reddish brown, with white window sills and dark brown doors, and the occasional colourful chair or clothes line nearby. There was a smaller building half hidden to the right of the nearest one, which the horses were headed to of their own accord, and after a few minutes of steady walking Harry could make out that it was in fact a stable.

"Taki-niisan?" Harry asked hesitantly, looking up at him with furrowed brows in an attempt to discern what it was he was missing.

"Welcome back, Ha-kun. You've never seen the outside of the Lodgings, have you?" Takimaru said, smiling when Harry whipped back around to stare at the buildings.

"W-We're here already? Where was the guest room I stayed in? Where's yours?" Harry inquired wonderingly, eyes scanning quickly and picking out little spots of movement behind the closest window in what he would later learn to be the administrative building. A minute later Harry shivered in the evening breeze and tucked his arms into a pretzel. "...where are we going now?"

"To the stables, so Del and Toro can be settled for the night." Takimaru answered easily, shifting his arms to cradle the boy securely, simultaneously preparing to pick Harry up and slide off of Del's back. "Then, you and I will be heading to bed. You especially need rest for your doctor's appointment tomorrow, and after these past weeks I could use a _full_ night's sleep in my own bed. We'll get your room set up later."

"...and I can see the Gopher Cows? Tomorrow?" Takimaru couldn't see it, but Harry was smiling when he asked, curling even further to try and ward off the creeping cool of the encroaching night.

"If we have time."

_* /2009/10/chinas-hakka-houses/ This is what I'm very loosely basing the Gourmet Knight's Lodgings off of, but built into the side of a cliff and only a semi circle_


	12. Chapter 12

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Here you all are, another chapter so I can work on this story during the holidays!

SPOILERS

Takimaru awoke the following day to a prickling sensation in the back of his mind and the early morning sun streaming in through his window. The door that adjoined to Harry's room was cracked open like he had left it the night before, and the air was still and silent save for the chirping of the birds out in the courtyard. Takimaru pushed himself into a sitting position and flattened his hair over his bad eye, cracking his back as he did and turning his alarm clock off before it could blare and disturb the child in the next room.

The Gourmet Knight almost couldn't believe he was in this position right now. Just a few days ago he had been beside himself with worry over the boy, and now Harry was sound asleep and –more importantly –safe, just a room away. He let out a steadying breath and smiled, and then began to get ready for the day ahead. He felt refreshed, light hearted –as if he had taken a spoonful of Komatsu's Century Soup then and there and savoured it as long as he could.

Once he deemed himself sufficiently ready for the day some ten minutes later, Takimaru took a moment to crack his back one more time before moving towards Harry's room. Later they could establish rules on privacy and such, but for now Takimaru didn't want his... ward, son... to sleep late and miss the appointment with Amara in a few hours.

So Takimaru knocked loud enough to signal he was there and pushed the door open, calling out to the child as he walked in. It took him a split second to notice that the bed had been stripped of its sheets and comforter and that there was no sign of Harry anywhere near it.

"Ha-kun? Are you in here?" Takimaru called again, stomach churning slightly. He didn't have to wait long for his nerves to be assuaged though, as just a moment later there was a shuffling sound and Harry emerged from inside the closet, cocooned in his blankets and clutching a pillow to his side.

"Taki-niisan? Is it time to get up?" The eight year old asked drowsily, yawning loudly after he finished asking. Takimaru felt a now familiar fondness creep up on him at the sight of Harry's hair sticking up in post-sleep cowlicks, and without his glasses he looked a few years younger still; he sighed and went over to the closet door to kneel next to the nest his charge had made in the small space.

"...yes, it is. Ha-kun, did you sleep in the closet the whole night?"

Harry blushed darkly and hugged the pillow closer to him with one arm while tentatively reaching out to Takimaru with the other. Takimaru scooped him out of the cocoon with care, pillow and all, and waited patiently for Harry to work himself up to answering him.

"I... it's... it's really big in here." He admitted. "My-My cupboard's small, and the other room was small, and the hammock at Monchy-ji's felt safe... but it's big in here. I'm sorry."

"No, no need to be sorry." Takimaru assured the child immediately, brushing the cowlicks down only for them to spring right back up –Harry obviously needed a bath. "It's fine that you're not used to it in here. Why don't we see about getting you a hammock instead of that big bed, hm? Would that make it a little easier?"

Harry nodded silently and smiled, so Takimaru made a mental note and moved on to getting Harry ready to go out. Takimaru had Harry pick out the clothes he wanted to wear that day along with a towel and washcloth, and then they headed out of their rooms to the end of the hall, where that floor's bathing rooms were located. Hygiene was important in the Gourmet Faith, but so was embracing nature and therefore themselves –Takimaru was firmly of the opinion that shame was taught, and wasn't about to let Harry start to feel ashamed of his own body when he was already having to unlearn being ashamed of his very _cells_.

The bathing area wasn't split by gender, but there were four sections on each floor that were by an unspoken rule distinguished by age. Takimaru directed Harry to the 'family/children' area, showed him where to stow his clothes and then how to use the taps, and went over the general etiquette that was expected. About forty-five minutes later, following a thorough scrub and then a soak in the big pool/tub (Harry had never gone to this sort of bath before), they both got dressed in the clothes they brought with them and Harry shouldered his pack dutifully. After that they went back to their rooms and only needed to worry about brushing their teeth –although Takimaru also spent a good amount of time making sure Harry's hair was brushed and pinned out of his eyes to his liking.

"Taki-niisan?"

"Mm?" Takimaru murmured distractedly, reaching over Harry's head to grab a few hair pins off of the counter. "What is it, Ha-kun?"

"Is there an ingredient that can fix my eyes?" He asked, eyes unfocused as Takimaru fussed with his unruly hair. "Glasses aren't very fun to wear."

Takimaru thought about the question for a few moments before replying, trying to phrase it in a way that wouldn't be misunderstood. "There aren't any... _natural_ ingredients that are easy to come by. There are affordable synthesized medicines and treatments, surgeries that can correct vision fairly well –even your Gourmet Cells might fix it on their own if you leave it... if you really want to, I can arrange to take you in to have it fixed."

"...but there's something else." Harry stated more than asked.

"In a way." Takimaru admitted. "One of the Gourmet Faith's main tenants is to reject man-made or artificial medicines, and to accept your body the way it is –the way that it naturally came to be, barring sickness or an onset disease. I agree with and follow that tenant myself, but _you_ are not a member of the Faith or the Knights even though you live with me. It is your own decision, as it is your own body, but I personally feel you should wait to see if your Gourmet Cells will fix the problem before you consider something like surgery." Takimaru pinned the last errant lock of hair back, and smiled fondly as Harry slid his glasses back into place. "Why don't we ask the medic about it later today? You can think about the options available and we can go from there, alright?"

Harry hummed contemplatively and then nodded, hopping down from the little stool and briefly staring at himself in the mirror before grabbing Takimaru's hand so they could head down to the kitchens.

Vvv

"Taki-kun, this wouldn't be your young man that you told me about, would it?" Oumaru asked the moment they stepped over the threshold to her kitchen. Harry started at the sudden appearance of the pregnant woman and stood stock still at Takimaru's side while she inspected him –he looked almost like a different child if you ignored his characteristic scar and glasses, with his long bangs pinned back and the sides starting to grow in. "Oh, you poor little one, look how thin you are! The both of you get over to that table and let me cook something up for you! Taki-kun, is he still on a restricted diet?"

"No, Ha-kun can eat whatever he wants to unless Amara-san says otherwise later today. Ha-kun, this is Oumaru-san, the chef who made your special meals while you were recovering." Harry's eyes widened in recognition, and he seemed to struggle with himself for a few moments before letting go of Takimaru's hand and going over to tug at Oumaru's apron.

"Yes, sweetheart? What is it?" She asked, moving down to one knee to talk to him –Takimaru heard Harry stutter again for a minute before he spoke to the matronly woman more confidently.

"Thank you for the food you made me. I really, really liked it." Oumaru smiled brilliantly and cooed at him as if he were one of her own children.

"Oh, you're very welcome Ha-chan, I love it when I hear that people are happy eating the food I make! Do you want anything _special_ for breakfast today?" Takimaru stared at the conversation taking place, never having thought to ask Oumaru about how she parented her own kids –it was obvious now that that was a major oversight on his part.

"Uh, mm, maybe –maybe scrambled eggs? A-And Gopher Cow milk?" Harry stuttered again, exceedingly hopeful for even those common ingredients –Oumaru kept a straight face but Takimaru knew that underneath it all she was very concerned. "But, w-whatever you're making is fine with me!"

"Scrambled eggs it is!" Oumaru declared, standing and walking purposefully over to the largest of the three fridges that were in her kitchen. "With some fruit I think, oh, and some toasted Bacon Seeds for protein... Taki-kun, you'll get this young man his milk, yes?"

"Of course. Ha-kun, could you go and wait at the table while I do that, please?" Harry nodded immediately and went to go clamber up onto one of the chairs while Takimaru walked over to join Oumaru at the fridge. Takimaru waited until he was sure that Harry was securely seated before taking his eye off of him. "Brunch-san spoke with you about Ha-kun's compatible ingredients?"

"In fact he did. He left me a list of the most apparent ones he could pinpoint –I've still got it with me, so I'll give it to you once you start eating. When he gets settled, are you going to enrol him in Katsumaru's classes, Taki-kun?" Oumaru asked, juggling two King Eggs in her one hand and a bag of Bacon Seeds in the other. "My oldest son's in year three. I don't know if you've seen him recently but he's around Ha-chan's age and already loves to teach his siblings what he learns in class, I'm sure they would get along."

"I saw Daikon briefly just after he was born, so it has been awhile. We're not sure exactly how long Ha-kun is going to stay with us before he transports himself back to where his relatives live, but if he wants to then I'll be sure to talk with Katsumaru-san about an arrangement." Takimaru answered neutrally, pouring the Gopher Cow milk exceedingly carefully. "Even if he wants to though, I may wait until his health has stabilized. You remember what the medic said..."

"The poor dear, I've seen that vacillating confidence before in the kids we took from abusive homes –now I see exactly why he needed that special diet. Thankfully it looks as if he's managed to just avoid malnutrition, though I would recommend continuing to give him a Full Nutrient ingredient every morning until he starts to recover steadily. Bring it up again with Amara-san when you see her, alright?" Oumaru said seriously, and Takimaru agreed with no hesitation.

"Of course I'll talk to her –when I spoke with Monchy-san he said he had noticed as well and altered the food accordingly, even had him drink the Steaming Kettle's famous Fissure Tea. Aimaru-san is going to have a discussion with Ha-kun about it tomorrow, so don't worry, Oumaru-san." Takimaru patted the chef's arm sympathetically and then turned to go and sit with his charge, carrying the requested glass of milk as he did.

Vvv

"Now, we just need to give you this vaccine, Harry-kun, and we're _all done._" Amara told him kindly, showing him the little needle filled with clear liquid.

Aimaru may have been able to eat the sources of illness, but after he had nearly died from the effects of consuming Takimaru's Gourmet World disease, there had been some changes. The Gourmet Faith, while one of its tenants was rejecting man-made and artificial medicines, had always been a great supporter of naturopathy, and this had allowed for that sect of medicine to make great leaps and strides over the years. Once Aimaru had fully recovered from the Life medicine, he had made it mandatory that every child in the Knight's care be vaccinated and had thrown his weight behind a campaign for similar laws in the Faith proper. Many people did already, but with his weaker constitution Aimaru had needed a break –and that meant lessening the sickness in the immediate community first and foremost.

It helped that the country of Life had flourished alongside the development of the Faith –nowadays it was very easy for naturopaths like Amara to make a living even far away from the medicinal mecca. Especially close by to a population like Simple Diet Hill, where almost no one used artificial cures –Amara had developed many of the now commonplace natural curatives herself to give them more options. In the years since, Aimaru had started treating afflicted people once more, but stayed firm with his views –vaccination was simply boosting natural antibodies and would help more than hinder in the long run.

"It's to protect you from a lot of Human World diseases that can hurt kids your age. There are only eight doses in there, which might not seem like much, but it's designed so that they overlap in your system and protect you from a whole slew of other stuff. All I have to do is sterilize your shoulder, and a second later I'll inject the vaccine. Are you alright with that?"

Harry nodded from his seat up on the examination table; they had gone through a full check up already, went over his options for vision-correction, drawn blood to do some quick tests, and so far she had explained everything to him as it was being done. They had even looked over Brunch's list of compatible ingredients in order to find a diet that would help him overcome his malnutrition as fast as they were able to, and the list was now safely inside Harry's backpack because he had insisted that he could take care of it. Harry held out his arm for the doctor to do what she needed to, and curled the fingers of his free hand into the fabric of Takimaru's sleeve while she inserted the needle methodically; Takimaru stood beside Harry, glad that they were getting this done so quickly and with minimal fuss.

"There, all finished!" Amara announced, putting the needle away and smoothing a bright purple bandaid over the tiny dark spot on Harry's shoulder. "You did great, Harry-kun! I'm very impressed."

"Thank you, Amara-sensei." Harry replied, smiling bashfully at the praise.

"Now, I need to talk with Takimaru-san about a few boring adult things. If you want to you can stay, but you can also go with Frill-san and he can take you on a quick walk. What do you think?" Amara asked, and Harry looked from her to Takimaru silently for a few seconds.

"...I'll stay here." He eventually decided, hopping down from the table and going to sit in the seat beside Takimaru's.

"Sounds good, sport. Okay, Takimaru-san, you have all the papers you'll need to sign –I expect them back with me by the end of the week, do you hear me?" Amara told him firmly –she was used to the forgetfulness of Gourmet Hunters, and Knights were no exception even if they were a tad more apologetic about it. "Stick to the diet and he'll be right as rain within a year, but if he doesn't stay that long then impress on him the importance of simply eating _something_. Even if you have to go to a Soup Kitchen, do you understand Harry-kun?"

"Yes, I'll make sure I go." Harry told her sincerely; he had been to the local Soup Kitchen during his week away, but he had also used to go to a langar in Staines-upon-Thames when he had enough time and energy to walk that far, and they generally had healthier food than the Soup Kitchen (though he knew that both places were just doing their best with what they had).

"Good lad. I've already sent off the request for his Gourmet ID information, so since you're getting him registered tomorrow I'll let you know whether it goes through or not and we can decide on another appointment." Amara glanced at the computer for a moment, obviously understanding what looked to Harry like coloured squiggles from his line of sight. "We've eliminated a lot of the side effects from low volumes of natural cures, but Harry-kun's been given these, with the eight compatible vaccines all at once. He _does_ have Gourmet Cells –I'm as far from an expert as you can get about those, but what I do know is that they generally lessen side effects and boost the desired outcome of medicines, especially natural cures. So he might experience minor muscle aches, soreness around the injection point, and a slight fever, but he also might not. If you're worried, give me a shout and I'll come back right away."

"Thank you for all of this on such short notice, Amara-san." Takimaru said. "Especially for coming all the way from Eco Land."

"Eh, I owed Ai a favour. Now, I'm sure you have things to do –get out so I can pack up." Once Amara had turned back to her computer, Takimaru took Harry's hand and left the temporary doctor's office, bidding Frill goodbye on their way down the hall.

"Are you ready to go into town now, Ha-kun?" Takimaru asked Harry once they had got more than a few paces away from the room. Harry nodded and hitched his nearly empty pack higher onto his shoulders, excited to be getting a few things of his very own even as he was still trying to wrap his head around the concept –it wasn't as if he didn't _own _anything, but most of what he did own used to be Dudley's.

"Well, it's not too far a walk from here to Simple Diet Hill proper... maybe about ten minutes. How do you feel about heading there now?"

"I don't mind walking." Harry said. "Ten minutes is really close, isn't it?"

Takimaru nodded but didn't answer right away. He led Harry through the hallways easily –Harry was still unfamiliar with how the Knight's buildings were laid out, so he stuck to the older man's side like glue. It took them no time at all to reach the front of the administrative building, and once they were outside Takimaru had a quick look around, tapped Harry on the head and lifted him up with no trouble at all so he sat on Takimaru's shoulders. Harry squeaked in surprise and flailed for a moment before he realized that with Takimaru's hands on his shins, he wasn't about to fall off any time soon.

"We don't want to tucker you out after getting those vaccines." Takimaru told him as he started walking down the gravel and dirt path, Harry's eyes swivelling around to stare at all the rocky pillars and cliffs that surrounded them. "If you feel up to it you can walk on the way back, but for now just enjoy the view, alright? You haven't seen Simple Diet Hill in the daylight after all."

"Okay." Harry agreed, hands hesitating a few seconds before lowering to rest on top of Takimaru's turban. "I... I think I'm going to wait until I'm all better, before I think about my eyes."

"If that's what you want to do, Harry." Takimaru said seriously. "Don't feel pressured just because I suggested it. It's your body after all, and you should be comfortable in it."

Harry was silent for a few steps, staring down at the cheerful orange fabric under his hands, the crunch of the gravel under Takimaru's feet relaxing him. "Is it the Faith that says you should wear a turban? I remember that Akimaru-san didn't..."

"Many different cultures in the Human World incorporate turbans or similar head wraps, like the people who live in Sand Garden, for one. In the Faith, it's more of a personal choice." Takimaru explained. "It's standard to teach adherents about pre-shot routines from a young age, and to a lesser extent teach about pressure points along with that; so it's common for those who are less proficient in that area to wear a turban. There are bones and pressure points on the head that benefit from being wrapped, and different wrapping styles reflect that –once you have a grasp on how to tell the difference, that is. Nowadays, it's also a starting tradition for Gourmet Knight members to receive one at their induction from a family member –though just like 'maru', it's also gaining popularity in the Faith as a whole."

"What does yours mean?" Harry asked.

"I used to have anxiety problems as a child, so Aimaru-san started me on pre-shot techniques to try and lessen it. It wasn't enough at the time, so he taught me this style, which puts pressure on three separate points that promote focus, tranquility and self awareness –I'm simplifying, it's a bit more complicated than that. I'm a bit different among the Knights, because I have a better grasp on pressure points than most, but I still wear one."

"D-Did you know... that there's people who wear turbans where I'm from, too?"

"Really? Like ours?"

"K-Kind of, the styles are different from the ones here, and they're called Sikhs... and they wear them 'cause it shows that they're all the same in the eyes of Waheguru. Everyone who's been baptized is supposed to wear them..." Harry trailed off a little uncertainly, not having needed to remember things like this for a long time; Takimaru squeezed his shin to show he was still listening. "...my mum and dad were Sikhs, Aunt Petunia says."

"That's incredibly interesting, Ha-kun. I think I remember hearing about this same thing somewhere else before, but I'll have to bring it up with Aimaru-san to be sure. How do they look different from mine?"

"They cover all of the hair, usually, because hair is important –you aren't supposed to cut your hair at all. There's all kinds of different ways to wrap them too, but I can't remember if they mean anything." Harry coughed gently. "The book on the Faith you gave me said that... when you commit to the Faith you add 'maru' or 'suke' to the end of your name, but not everyone does it. Sikhs have the same thing; boys have 'Singh' as a last name, and girls have 'Kaur', but sometimes people just have them as a middle name. Aunt Petunia doesn't because she didn't take the Amrit, but someday I might want to –they were always nice to me when I went to the langar to eat."

Takimaru felt as though he should be writing down everything Harry said to remember for later, as some of the things he was divulging about his home were absolutely fascinating, even if Takimaru didn't fully understand a lot of it. For now Takimaru was just thankful that he had a bit more information to go on in order to narrow down where Harry had come from –he was _sure_ that he had heard of a similar sounding group before, if he could only remember where...


	13. Chapter 13

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

To **Lost-Lovegood**; I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! I agree that you can be a white Brit and still Sikh, but where's the fun in that? :) In case anyone was interested, I always headcanon Harry and Hermione as POC characters, even if I don't say it outright. I hope you like this chapter as well!

And **Jostanos**; Where indeed? I'll definitely expand on it, don't you worry! And yes, despite the fact that his cells seem pretty open ended right now, they specialize just as much as anyone else's. I tried to find a way to fit it with most of what Harry did with accidental magic in canon. Brunch mentions in ch 6 a bit, but the real planned answer is that he alters the composition of things he touches depending on his desires. From shrinking a sweater to fusing pieces of a broken cup back together.

Now his world hopping –that explanation will have to wait!

SPOILERS

"Ah, is that it there?" Harry piped up, poking the side of Takimaru's neck softly to try and get his attention back. Takimaru looked up from the path and saw that they had lefty the rocky area behind, and the wall surrounding Simple Diet Hill was few dozen feet in front of them; distinctive golden coloured plaster rising up to their waists, interrupted every hundred feet by a dark brown gate. Beyond the wall were a few one story buildings made of the same dark wood and gold plaster, parted by the path leading from the gate nearest to them to the small central courtyard which housed the market. Before the two of them passed the gate, Takimaru swung Harry carefully off of his shoulders and onto the ground, opening the little door for him to walk through.

"I-It's sandy!" Harry exclaimed in shock, standing on the boardwalk that snaked between the small grassy patches behind each house, but which rested almost entirely on sand the colour of saffron. "But it was just rocks and forest back there! Taki-niisan?"

Takimaru chuckled at his charge's confusion –Harry did so remind him of his younger self. "Simple Diet Hill is in the middle of an area with a very divided environment. Right now we're on the beach of a small sea, whereas the Lodgings are in the cliff and forest area, then there's the craggy desert area I found you in, and Eco Land is beyond that, in the grasslands. There's also a swamp over that way and a snowy mountain a little ways off –you'll be able to see it on the way back."Harry stared at a tiny ruby coloured lizard in the sand a few feet away, before he noticed another not too far off, and then another and another. "That's why we'll be getting you a few heavier clothes right away; while Simple Diet Hill itself usually remains fairly warm all year, the Lodgings experience a brief winter and are a bit cooler on average."

"Okay." Harry agreed easily, eyes flitting around to spot the small lizards wherever they popped up, holding Takimaru's hand so they didn't get separated –Simple Diet Hill was neither large nor bustling, but caution had its merits. "And I'll keep a few in my pack, right? With other stuff?"

"Mm, exactly." Takimaru replied. The boardwalk in front of them widened abruptly to turn into a large circular deck about a city block in diameter. There was an incredibly old Sand Ginkgo tree rising out of an opening directly in the middle of the circle, and along the edges were either the entrances to stores or temporary stalls; you could get any essentials you needed here, though nearly ninety percent of wares adhered to the Faith in some manner. The market was even more deserted than usual today, so as they began their circuit past the stores they didn't have to wait to see anything at all.

"We'll do a quick walk around so you can see what they have, Ha-kun, and then we'll do a second round to choose what you want. You can pick out the clothes and a few new books while I'll take care of the more technical things, okay?" Takimaru asked as they wandered by a stand which sold Humble Cabbage and nothing else. Harry made an affirmative noise but his eyes were fixed on the stands and storefronts –probably trying to make sure he remembered where the things he liked were. Occasionally he would get a longer look, as many of the shop owners or their employees knew Takimaru personally and he never refused a chat.

"So you found him then, Taki-san?" An elderly man asked, peering around his stacks of Box Melons so he could see Harry in full. Harry flushed at the reminder of his absence –and the concern it had caused. "Good lad you are, always knew you'd be a father at some point. Ever since you and Korosuke had your first date..."

Harry looked up at Takimaru to see that he was blushing lightly, free hand on the back of his neck in an action Harry somehow knew meant he was embarrassed. "Yes, well, it certainly is a blessing to have Ha-kun back. Give Korosuke my regards, Ujisuke-san!"

They had gone through the next few stands somewhat quickly, Takimaru's blush lessening the farther they got from the old fruit vendor; Harry wondered a little why he was acting like that, as it wasn't as if Ujisuke had said anything that odd. But Harry didn't want to pry into things that weren't his business, so he let Takimaru hurry him along since it seemed like it would make him feel better. The last store they needed to look around in on this first check sold bedding and camping supplies, so Takimaru had Harry peruse the travel beds while he spoke to the store manager about putting together a few things for him before they came back.

There were all kinds of beds here, from the incredibly fancy fold outs that only a professional Gourmet Hunter could afford to the cheapest items that may have only been layered cuts of sacking. Harry took one glance at the flashy and colourful displays for the more complicated or expensive pieces and disregarded them near instantly –instead he wandered over to the corner display that sold the travel hammocks and thin bed rolls. He didn't need anything more, really, especially since he was already used to kipping on a thread bare mattress in his cupboard and indeed, had grown almost fond of it. As he picked up and inspected each item, he considered the places that he had woken up in or been transported out of; the forest, the ridge of the cliffs between the Lodgings and Eco Land, the Dursley's backyard and the Artisan Forest to ponder a few. All varied in climate and how long he had been there, and that may be a problem.

"Having trouble, Ha-kun?" Takimaru asked from behind him, startling him slightly. "What are you thinking?"

"Uh –I was just thinking about the places I ended up, because of my cells." He told Takimaru promptly. "When I first... passed out, I was in a forest. But when you found me, there were no trees around, and I just didn't know whether I should pick a hammock to keep if I might find myself in a place with no trees to tie it to."

"Very good, Ha-kun, that's just the sort of thing you should be thinking about." Takimaru praised. He took a quick look over the discount display and then shook his head –he moved a few feet away to another shelf and glanced up and down the length of it. "Here." He eventually said, picking up what looked to be a rolled up mat. "This is called a Swag. See here-" He turned it over to show Harry a diagram printed on the side. "-it rolls out into a bed and is covered in a waterproof case that you can prop up to make a tent if there's rain. And what's nice about _this _one is that it has pieces on the end, so that it can be a hammock if you want it to be."

"Oh..." Harry picked up another from the shelf that was army green and was surprised at how light it was. "I-It's not too expensive, is it?" All the zeros on the price tag worried him, but the money symbol was different from the British Pound, so he didn't know if it was even the same.

"No, not particularly." Takimaru told him, setting the red one back. "Even if it _was_ pricy I'd still consider it, because you want it to last as long as it can. Do you like it?"

Harry inspected the example diagrams again. "It looks nice... I've never had to choose one before though, so I don't really know."

"Then let's get it. I've used one of these before and while they aren't luxurious, they do make things more comfortable." Takimaru said. "We can leave it up at the front with the things that Abutsu-san is collecting, and if you want to look a little more when we come back then we can do that."

They were on their way again, and little by little Harry's backpack was being filled up with new or nearly new things he'd never had before. He got several more shirts, sweaters and pants as well as a pair of rubber, insulated boots and some under-things, and then a coat, a hat, a wallet, and a small but well stocked first aid kit which Takimaru promised to sort through with him soon. He received a hunting knife that he would be shown how to safely handle in the coming days, a book to write phone numbers and addresses in, and he picked up several books from the second hand shop, all of which he'd neither seen nor heard of before. And there was also a pack of tools such as a compass, hammer and pliers, a flash light and batteries, a reusable Gourmet Case and Water Bag, a Human World map, a collapsible cooking set, and then finally the Swag, which fastened onto the top of his bag by some buckles so that it would cushion his head if he ever fell backwards.

On their way back to the Lodgings, Harry insisted on walking beside Takimaru as opposed to sitting on his shoulders, citing that he didn't feel at all faint from the vaccines so he should be able to. It didn't seem even half as long as it had taken to go the other way before they were coming up on the circular courtyard and Harry was blushing as a few unfamiliar Knights waved them over and asked him about himself and how he was faring.

When Takimaru finally excused them from the conversation, the first place they went was back upstairs and into Harry's room, where Takimaru had him lay out all his purchases onto the bed so they could properly sort it into his pack or his dresser. Most of the books and about half of the clothes went over and into the drawers while everything else was folded up and arranged so it would fit easier and the weight was distributed better. Then Takimaru brought out the letters he was to give his aunt and uncle if he went back, and they spent about a half an hour writing in his address book, putting in all the telephone numbers of Knights that Takimaru knew, along with Monchy, Toriko (at Aimaru's request) and Match (though Takimaru stressed to only call Match if it was life or death).

Lastly, once all of that was over and done with and the pack was safely fastened around Harry's torso again, they found that they had a few hours to go before supper so Takimaru took the opportunity to go over why Harry had been given a hunting knife. Whether it was nice to think about or not, there might come a time where Harry transported himself to the middle of nowhere and needed to use it to either keep himself safe or feed himself. It was not a toy, as Takimaru told him quite seriously, and if he didn't take it, or the rules about its handling seriously then they may as well stop now and forget about it. But Harry was determined to learn how to use it and swore he would listen and follow whatever Takimaru had to say on the matter –so up until dinner they stayed in the room and went over everything so that by the end Harry could practically recite it himself.

After dinner had passed and Harry had expounded on Oumaru's meal to his satisfaction (they would be having dinner in the kitchen until Harry was a bit healthier, so Oumaru could monitor his intake), Takimaru decided to take him out and over to the Gopher Cow colony. It was still fairly light out so they had little difficulty taking the cliff-side staircase, though Takimaru chose to carry Harry at some points due to how narrow it became. When they finally came upon the platform that had been carved out of the rock wall –separated into two portions by a low fence that supported a feeding trough and sheltered a water pool, which had several Cows milling about as it was –Takimaru lowered Harry to his feet and drew him over to the Gopher Cow's head caretaker.

"Takimaru-kun! I haven't seen you in a long time!" Yukimaru greeted amiably, pushing his hair out of his eyes as they came closer to him. It _had_ been a while, Takimaru thought as the older Knight stood and leaned easily on his cane, prosthetic leg taking a few seconds to follow him before it would move smoothly. The last time Takimaru had really seen the other man it had been a few weeks after the battle at the Cooking Festival and Yukimaru had still been on bed rest then –he had lost his right leg from the knee down to one of the cannibalistic Gourmet Corp. members and had asked Takimaru to deliver his transfer request from the Four Seasons Group to the Gopher Cow supervisory. After that, Takimaru had started going to Nerg and Jidar to help and they had always seemed to miss each other by scant minutes.

"Yes, I'm sorry I haven't been around much, Yukimaru-san." Takimaru replied, conscious of Harry gripping his pant leg and his curious gaze directed at the Cows. "But I'll be back a long while from now on, so I'll try to see you more often."

"Glad to hear it." Yukimaru brightened minutely. "I heard from Ai-san that you're joining second-tier, congratulations."

"Thank you. Now, you see Yukimaru-san, Ha-kun and I actually came up here to visit some of the Gopher Cows, if you aren't too busy?" Yukimaru laughed, which actually managed to draw Harry's eyes away from the Fauna and up to look at the blue haired man before them –Takimaru was glad to see that he didn't look as nervous at the prospect of a new person as he had come to expect lately.

"So, Ha-kun, you're interested in the Gopher Cows are you?" Yukimaru asked; Harry nodded and stepped slightly away from Takimaru's leg. "Then why don't you come over here and I'll introduce you? I think one of Kir-eh's calves is around your age..."

"Okay!" Harry chirped, adjusting his pack and giving Takimaru a parting look before he hopped over to where Yukimaru was waiting. Takimaru followed behind the two of them by a few paces and opted to listen in on their conversation.

"Kir-eh is one of our older Cows, and is also the one who has given birth the least in the colony. One calf every four years since she was old enough to carry, where most have a calf every two years or so; that's mainly because Gopher Cows develop rapidly at first and then age at the same rate as humans do." Yukimaru explained to an attentive audience, drawing up short as they reached the fence. "But Kir-eh is more docile than the others, so she dotes on the calves while she can. This one's her latest and he seems to take after her more than the others... Kir! Kir-eh!"

At Yukimaru's call, one of the Cows further back tilted her head and made a chirp-chatter sound not unlike that of a baby Raccoon. A second later she had made the same sound again and slowly shuffled forwards towards Yukimaru, followed closely by a black puff of fur about a quarter of her size.

"Here, Ha-kun, this is Kir-eh." Yukimaru told him, hand on his shoulder so he didn't make any nervous moves as Kir-eh lifted her head up and settled it on the fence, blinking down at the two of them for a moment before she shifted forward and nuzzled her large nose into Yukimaru's extended hand. "Gopher Cows don't really rely on us for food or water –they can find all of that underground on their own, though we do provide it. They're very social Fauna, and consider the humans that care for them to be a part of their colony on the same level as siblings, or sometimes offspring."

"Taki-niisan said that Gopher Cows have _small_ colony nests though." Harry said, surprising Takimaru again –he barely remembered telling Harry that himself.

"They _like _big families, but really can't support them and I think they know that. Oh, looks like you have a visitor." Yukimaru smiled as the calf came up to the fence mirroring his mother –if on the lower beam –and its long white tongue snaked out and licked Harry's hand. Harry made an odd giggle-shriek but let the calf do as it pleased, and after a minute of tongue-inspection the calf retracted it and began to nuzzle his hand. "He's about your age in Gopher Cow years, I'm almost sure of it. See his tail?" Harry craned his neck and saw that it was shaped like a shovel and was about the same size on the calf as it was on the adult, just without so many ridges on top. "The number of ridges is usually how we tell. Their tongues and tails are the same size when they're 90 as they are when they're 9."

"What's his name?" Harry asked, and then abruptly sat down and scooted closer to the Fauna –and the calf copied him exactly, shuffling its six little legs so it could rest on its stomach and put its head on Harry's crossed ankles. It let out a snuff through its nose and Harry cooed lowly at it.

Yukimaru and Takimaru shared a look. "We don't name them until they turn brown –it's easier to keep track of them that way. But, how about you name this little fellow? He's nearly there and he seems to like you well enough."

"_Really?_" Harry asked incredulously, swivelling slightly to stare up at Yukimaru; the calf didn't like that and started to make a gurgling whine, not stopping until Harry comforted him.

"Why not? The names need to be chosen anyway. It's fine, right Takimaru-kun?" Yukimaru glanced at him again and Takimaru affirmed.

As Harry fawned over the calf, Kir-eh lost interest in Yukimaru and made her way a few feet over to the water pool. The two Knights took a couple of steps back from the children but kept a watchful eye on them regardless.

"Look at that, Takimaru-kun. He is your son, isn't he?" Yukimaru asked wistfully. "Oh, blood doesn't matter when it comes to children, not when you see yourself in them like you do. How misguided I've..."

Takimaru didn't respond except to incline his head, and after a few minutes Yukimaru had composed himself enough to ask Harry if he had thought of anything for the calf.

"Bonnet, like a Black Bonnet cookie." He said, scratching behind the calf's ear now. "Is that one alright?"

"I think it sounds great. But it is starting to get dark out, so how about you get to bed and come back to visit another time? I'll get a necklace for Bonnet to wear so you can tell him apart if you need to."

Vvv

When Takimaru tucked Harry in a little bit after they left the colony, promising that they would be getting him a proper hammock when they went into Eco Land tomorrow and cocooning him in blankets to try and lessen his minute Agoraphobia, Harry felt a now familiar sensation start to bubble in his chest. Takimaru smoothed Harry's bangs away from his eyes and smiled at him warmly, and Harry felt so overwhelmed in that moment he wanted to cry. But he didn't, and when Takimaru clicked the lights off a minute later he settled for smiling into his pillow and snuggling deep into the burrito of safety surrounding him.


	14. Chapter 14

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

To **Jostanos**; you're a regular Jerry Seinfeld :3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

SPOILERS

It was the day after their excursion into Simple Diet Hill, and early that morning Takimaru had sat them both onto Del's saddle and they had ridden over to Eco Land, which was where the nearest Gourmet ID clinic was located. Takimaru had checked Harry in with the receptionist immediately, but since they had arrived early they took the time to go over to one of the town's few non-natural shops. There they had found him a suitable hammock for his bedroom, along with a thin blanket for his Swag that was made out of a material that could warm or cool itself depending on the weather (it had been a tad expensive, but Takimaru wasn't about to tell Harry that).

On their way back to the clinic they had briefly met Nonchy on the street, and Harry had chattered away at him comfortably about his time with Monchy in Skill Garden. Before they parted, the mayor had asked Harry to come see him the next time he saw Monchy, as he liked to hear about his brother from those who had visited him. Harry promised he would before Takimaru had needed to hurry them along, managing to get them back to the waiting room with a few minutes to spare.

"_It's the most secure identification you can get." Takimaru had explained to him on their way to Eco Land that morning, to keep him from nodding off. "It records everything to do with what you've eaten in the past, from when you ate something to how many bites you took to eat it –and for those with Gourmet Cells it can tell you what foods you've eaten in the past that you're compatible with. Amara-san is going to put in a request for that information along with whatever else she needs, so if it's approved you can keep it with you."_

"_Do I have to get it done again?" Harry asked._

"_You should update it every three years. Back a few years ago there were a lot of incidents that might have been avoided had more people kept up with it, but nowadays the majority are keen on staying up to date. Some people still don't, of course." Takimaru explained, thinking of the Cooking Fest battle and what Komatsu had told him had happened with the GT Robo at the Gourmet Coliseum._

When it came time for the procedure, Harry was settled neatly into the scanner without his backpack or Takimaru's comforting presence, but tried to ignore that for the sake of the Gourmologist who was bustling around and explaining a number of things to him before it all got started. He listened intently to how the procedure worked even though he didn't understand much of it, assured the young man that he would be fine in the enclosed space for how long it would take (two hours plus the typical twenty minutes since he'd never had it done before) and when offered either a CD to listen to or a movie to watch, he'd chosen the movie.

_Robin Hood _was a children's movie about a Gourmet Hunter and Chef who lived in the forests of a long ago kingdom and stole Ingredients from the pastures of the rich to feed the poor. The movie was animated and colourful, had funny songs and followed Robin and Little John's adventures as Combo Partners trying to outrun the Sheriff and the Prince, and at the same time save the lovely Maid Marian –and Harry liked it immensely. He wondered if there had been a real person like Robin or if it was just a story someone had made up, and resolved to ask Takimaru as soon as they were done here.

By midway through the scanning Harry had started to feel a little drowsy, and he only managed to hold on long enough to see the end of the movie before he finally nodded off –lulled to sleep by the last notes of the final song. It seemed as if only a few minutes had passed before someone was lightly shaking his shoulder and calling for him to wake, but he was _so_ comfortable that he really didn't want to.

"Here, I'll get him." A more familiar voice said from further back, and a split second later Harry was being lifted up and out of the scanning bed and into Takimaru's arms –Harry could tell that it was him because he smelled like a pine fire. As he woke up he wondered hazily why that was, but soon forgot that thought as Takimaru settled him upright onto a chair and he was pulled back into coherency.

"Good day, sir." The Gourmologist said to him cheerily, drawing Harry's attention away from scrubbing at his eyes. "Before we print out your ID card, I have to ask you some questions, okay Harry? Do you think you're up for that?"

"Mmhm." Harry nodded, shouldering his backpack swiftly –he felt uncomfortable, unsafe, without it there.

"Alright, let's start with something easy. Your first name is Harry, spelled H-A-R-R-Y?" When Harry nodded, the still-unnamed man typed away into his computer. "Do you have a last name?"

Harry stalled, seized by a well known and unwelcome nervousness when it came to that subject. "Uh... uh, I. Po- I do-nnn. I-I-I-"

"He will eventually. We'll get it updated when he does." Takimaru said, coming to his rescue and placing a steady hand on his shoulder to center him. "Can we move on, Monroe-san?"

"Sure!" Monroe chirped, either disregarding Harry's nerves or not noticing them at all. "Alright, your current guardian-"

The rest of the questions were easier on him, but Harry was still jittery from the 'last name' inquiry even after they had left the clinic ten minutes later. He had thought that he had gotten better at dealing with it, but as Takimaru hoisted the both of them up onto Del's back and they started to make their way back to the Lodgings, he continued to quake as if caught in a bitter wind. Takimaru hugged him close with one arm and Harry started to sniffle against his will.

"M'sorry." He said quietly into Takimaru's elbow, feeling him sigh lightly and pull him even nearer after a beat of silence.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. Does it bring back bad memories?" Harry nodded and sniffed again.

"My mum and dad aren't alive anymore." Harry admitted in a tiny voice. "Aunt Petunia told me that they didn't have jobs and got drunk and crashed the car, and that's how I got my forehead scar when I was littler. She always –always says my dad was the one to make my mum like that. And when she and Uncle Vernon have –have sherry in the evenings, I try not to listen but I can still hear her c-cuss him out, and –a-and I can hear it when I h-ear my name, too."

Takimaru let out a breath and soothed Harry the best he could, managing to calm him after only a few minutes of tears but not feeling as if it were sufficient. He knew that Harry was going to have his important talk with Aimaru when they returned, but he wanted him to have some time to fully wind down before that –so when the stables came into sight some time later, he swiftly moved Del into his pasture and scooped Harry out of the saddle.

They walked in the opposite direction to the administrative building, back to the caretaker entrance to the Gopher Cow nest where Yukimaru was still supervising. The blue-haired Knight expressed some worry over Harry's puffy eyes initially, but when Takimaru explained that Harry just needed a friend to sit with for a few minutes he understood and went to call for Kir-eh. The Cow padded up out of the nearest tunnel after several minutes of waiting, chittering at Yukimaru and once again trailed by a little black furball.

"You can go into their area for a while, Ha-kun." Yukimaru told him as Bonnet snuffed and snorted excitedly at the sight of Harry. The calf scuttled backwards as Harry climbed through the fence, white ribbon around its neck swaying at the movement –and when Harry sat on the ground Bonnet whirred and recreated his position from the day before, only this time with its front four limbs on Harry's lap as well.

While Harry was relaxing, Yukimaru stood again off to the side with Takimaru and carefully groomed Kir-eh with one of the long brushes; inwardly amused because he could tell that both of the parents were watching their children attentively even from here. A few minutes passed with only the occasional hiccup or whirr from Harry and Bonnet, when Yukimaru decided to address the elephant in the room.

"Does he just get worked up easily?" Yukimaru asked in concern, glancing again at the puffiness around his eyes and the sickly look to Harry's skin. "I remember passing the guest room once while looking for Aimaru-san, and I thought I heard him crying then, too."

"He's very emotional, and –honest. He'll likely have anxiety issues that will be... worse, than mine were." Takimaru said. "But he also opens up to people easily, and –he doesn't _trust_ them, but he wants to. I think in that respect he will have a better time with recovering."

"And he is kind to the Fauna. That is a good sign with any child." Yukimaru said, smiling as Bonnet elicited a giggling burst from Harry by flicking him in the nose with his tongue; Harry tried to blow on the calf's nose in retaliation, but before he could manage it, Bonnet had bowled him over and they both ended up scuffling around the pen in what looked to be a game of chase. "If he turns out anything like you, he will be just fine, no matter where life takes him."

"...Yukimaru-san, forgive my saying so, but you never used to be so sentimental." Yukimaru looked at him with a raised eyebrow but an open expression, not appearing offended. "It may just be that we haven't seen each other in so long, but I can't help wondering –has something happened?"

"Nothing but time; like a wine, the longer I sit the fruitier I become." Yukimaru jested lightly. "It's happening to you too, of course. It will do that to wine and to people both –the things we were known for and those we didn't know we had grow stronger with age. But that just makes people more interesting, I think." Yukimaru looked back at Harry. "And because of that, I've started to rethink some of my decisions. But as of right now, there isn't anything I'm dissatisfied with in my life."

"I'm glad to hear you say that. Should you need anything, feel free to come to me." Takimaru offered, smiling as well when the calf did a strange motion that allowed it to turn around so swiftly that Harry was caught in an instant, laughing as he fell into the dust. "I think if we stay any longer Aimaru-san will be wondering what's keeping us. I suppose we will be talking an awful lot now, won't we?"

Yukimaru laughed and clapped Takimaru on the shoulder. "I think we will! Ha-kun! Bonnet!"

Yukimaru's call startled the two out of their little world, and within seconds they were both hurrying up to the fence. Without missing a beat Kir-eh used her tail to scoop Bonnet away and started to groom the calf, while Harry (smiling and flushed) quickly climbed through the fence and back to Takimaru.

"We've got to get you to Aimaru-san, Ha-kun." Takimaru said in explanation, dusting off his charge's clothes and straightening out his now uneven backpack straps.

"Okay. Thank you for calling up Bonnet and Kir-eh, Yukimaru-san!" Harry said, letting the caretaker pat his head.

"No problem at all. I'll see you later." Yukimaru answered, and with that Harry and Takimaru started to make their way back down the stairs and over towards the main buildings. It took them no time at all to navigate the halls to Aimaru's rooms with Takimaru leading them –when they reached the open door, Aimaru was sitting at his desk and writing something out, but soon stopped when he noticed their presence.

"Taki, Ha-chan, you're a bit earlier than I thought you'd be. Here, just let me finish this one thing and I'll be done..." He said quickly, motioning at the chairs in the middle of the room before he went back to his papers. Takimaru led Harry over to them and made sure he was settled down, but then explained that this was a talk just for Harry and that Takimaru would be picking him up in a few hours for dinner.

"So until then listen to Aimaru-san, okay, Harry?" Takimaru said, and waited until Harry agreed before he stood to leave. "I'll see you in a while, then."

Aimaru continued to write for a good five minutes after Takimaru had let himself out, but only once he was finished did Harry feel himself relax fully, prompting his 'grandfather' to send a warm look his way. It was another minute before Aimaru was completely done with his business, then he stood and walked around his desk to sit at the chair directly on Harry's right, setting his elbows on his knees and regarding Harry fondly.

"How have you been settling in since we got back, Ha-chan? Any trouble? I heard from Yukimaru that you've made a new friend up in the caves." Harry nodded, brightening at the thought of the Gopher Cow.

"Everything's been really great. All of the people I've been meeting are very nice and... different, also, but not in a bad way! I like it. Especially Bonnet –that's the Gopher Cow calf that Yukimaru-san let me name and play together with." Harry grinned shyly at Aimaru and patted the shoulder straps of his pack. "It's kind of hard playing while wearing my bag, but I'll get used to it soon. So, uh, that's the _only_ thing I've been having trouble with."

"I'm glad there hasn't been more." Aimaru told him. "Harry, this talk I wanted to have with you, it's very important that you understand what I'm going to tell you. So if you're confused by anything, tell me right away, yes?"

"Yes."

"Good. Well then, firstly, I have only a few expectations of you; the things that I want for you to follow." Harry had straightened at this and tried to focus completely so that he wouldn't forget. "What I expect from you is that you eat as properly as you can, be honest when asked a question, take your responsibilities seriously, and do your best to regain –and keep –your health. Do all of that, and I will be happy."

"...I will." Harry said promptly –though inwardly he was surprised that those were the only things.

"Now I will tell you those things that you will be responsible for. Your backpack and everything inside it are your possessions, and will help you in the future if you care for them properly; so treat them well and don't take them for granted." Harry nodded and gripped the fabric tightly –but before they moved on he asked Aimaru a question.

"What does 'take them for granted' mean?"

"It means, 'to assume something will always be there, and forget that one is lucky just to have it'. For example, 'one is lucky to have running water, and should not treat it as something that will always be around whenever it is needed –because one day it might not be.' Does that make sense?" When Harry affirmed that he understood the concept, Aimaru moved on. "More will come later, but soon you'll be learning meditation, how to focus, the theory of pre-shot routines, and how to manage your emotions. These lessons will help you when you start learning how to use your Gourmet Cells, so you should try your best in them."

"As well, in your bag there are two letters, one from me and one from Takimaru. It may not be nice to think about, but it's very possible that your Gourmet Cells will take you away again, at least for a little while. When that happens, and if you find yourself back in your relative's company, you must give these letters to your aunt and uncle and have them read both. It might be scary, but I know you can be brave and the letters might help with how you're treated; do you think you can do this for me?" Aimaru asked as he cradled Harry's hand, noticing immediately that Harry had drained of some colour at the thought of asking those adults to do anything. Harry shivered lightly but took several deep breaths to calm himself down, turning Aimaru's encouraging words over in his mind as he did.

"I can do it, Ai-ojiisan. I will." He said, trying to convince himself more than anyone; Aimaru didn't drop his hand, but Harry's pulse calmed down and so he went on.

"When you come back from your relatives, we don't know where you'll end up. As soon as you can safely do so, you either call someone here and tell us where you are, or find a Gourmet Policeman and tell them that there's a watch bulletin out for 'Harry under care of Takimaru'. I'll write that down for you to put in your wallet so you'll remember, but that's what I need you to do if you show up in a strange place. And," Here Aimaru chuckled a bit. "As I'm sure you've heard from Yukimaru, Gopher Cows like big families. I'd like you to go up and spend some time with Bonnet every few days, because there is no Fauna so loyal as one you grow older with. Bonnet will be a good friend to you, just as Toro is to me and Del is for Taki."

Harry agreed earnestly to those requests, recovering quickly from his brief fright. Aimaru then went on to mention that a friend of his named Toriko would be seeing him to familiarize his scent and cells so that they could find him easily if they needed to, which Harry was also fine with. Before Aimaru moved on to the last part of the talk, he took a moment to write down what he had gone over along with the watch bulletin information onto a slip of paper and make sure that Harry tucked it into his bag right away.

"Lastly, I will promise you a few things, and these I will have to uphold myself. And if I ever go against them or break them, you'll have to tell me so I can mend it."

"Harry, you will always have a place here, no matter where you go or who you grow into, no matter if I disagree with your decisions or if you do something wrong, _no matter what. _You will always be safe here as well, and if you ever feel _unsafe_ then I will do what I can to change that." Harry was wide eyed, startled by the unexpected –and moreover, almost unthinkable –prospect of this give and take between him and the Knight's leader. "You can choose the life you want to lead, and you will never be forced into being a Knight or following the Faith if you don't want to. I will treat you fairly; like any other child we take in I will not spoil you or be strict with you, and I will do my best to help you in your life. But you are also my grandson, so you can come to me when you need to, and I will love you as I love your father."

"Do you mean it?" Harry whispered.

"Take it to heart that I do." Aimaru pulled his chair closer and Harry hesitated only a moment before he clambered up to sit with him, settling down into a hug. "Do you want to know what I said to Takimaru, after he asked me what he should do with his life?"

"What?"

"'As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.' It's something my favourite teacher, Tanitsuke, used to have written on the classroom wall when I was very young. I learned much later that it was a quote from a famous actress and Gourmet Humanitarian." Aimaru let Harry fidget to get comfortable and then leaned back to relax into the chair –suddenly he was reminded of those late nights around the time Takimaru had first come to live with him, when his son's anxiety had spiked and he hadn't been able to sleep until Aimaru had held him. "The Knights main obligation is to be charitable, but the truth of the Faith is that you have just as much an obligation to yourself as you do to those around you. Promise me you'll remember that?"

"I promise."

Vvv

The next few days weren't filled with much excitement, but rather mainly consisted of Harry trailing after Takimaru wherever the Knight went in order to learn the layout of his new home and settle in better. Their routine was spotty at best; one day might start with Harry practicing his writing while Takimaru had a conference call with Match and Teppei, and the next would begin early in the morning, where Takimaru would start Harry on his introductory meditation lessons. But even with the unpredictable schedule Harry found himself enjoying his days so much more than he had thought he would, especially those times when Takimaru would bring him up to visit Bonnet for an hour or so. There were bumps in the road, to be sure, but everything was so interesting to Harry that those obstacles seemed to fly by the more he learned and asked about this new place he was starting to call home.

In actuality, it was far more of a learning experience for Takimaru, those early days with Harry. The Knight had received his second tier tattoos soon after Harry and Aimaru's talk, and upon that promotion had increased his number of calls to Nerg while also attempting to spend all his waking hours bonding with Harry. The experience of suddenly having a –child, was different than he had envisioned it would be in his youth before the Knights, and was challenging him in ways he had never given mind to in the past.

Despite Harry's mostly happy demeanour he was by no means an _easy_ boy to raise (though Takimaru doubted there were many children who didn't pose a strain to their caretakers). Amara had reviewed his Gourmet ID records and found more deficiencies than she had originally detected, so Harry was set up on a strict nutrient-rich and Cell Compatible diet for the times he could be, and given special once-a-day pills for when he couldn't. The eight year old also suffered from bouts of anxiety and stress attacks related to things that reminded him of his aunt and uncle, or if he thought that he had somehow done something wrong, and those episodes sometimes happened late at night. There had been a time or two when Harry had vacillated back and forth from extremely clingy to apathetic in the span of a few hours, and then snapped out of it abruptly only to break down because he hadn't been able to control it.

Thankfully Takimaru was prepared to some degree to handle Harry's needs, having gone through similar struggles at nearly the same age, but as Aimaru had said; personal knowledge wouldn't carry him the whole way. Takimaru felt most out of his depth when Harry suddenly went listless or uncaring (Takimaru had been a very needy child) and floundered quietly in those instances when he couldn't bring Harry out of the night time hysteria no matter how he soothed.

But even those trying times had silver linings –Takimaru was soon noticing patterns in what calmed Harry faster and when he needed something different to bring him back. He responded well to Takimaru lowly murmuring on about the places he had visited in the Human World, and whenever Takimaru spoke of Gourmet Cell users Harry nearly always came back to himself within minutes as that was what interested him the most. Harry himself liked to keep busy with what few classes he had at this point; because if his mind was occupied he knew that he was less likely to get set off by something. Takimaru didn't completely agree with distraction as a viable coping method, but he would let Harry deal with it how he liked at least until he was more comfortable calling the Lodgings his home, at which point Takimaru would probably set him up with meeting Satoumaru for however long he needed to.

About a week and a half after the Gourmet ID reading and two days after receiving the ID card in the mail, Harry was progressing well with what he had been assigned for his lessons –he could enter a light meditative state on his own, had memorized his daily focus exercises, and had chosen pre-shot routine basics for his Personal Study Choice; it was a continuation of the theory classes, and Aimaru had explained to him that it would further help with his focus and emotional training. He had even been entrusted with a Beginner's Guide for pre-shots, and kept it securely in his backpack whenever he wasn't reading it, just in case. The only things he was having trouble grasping were his emotion managing exercises (which was completely understandable and would likely take months for him to even begin to pick up) and the rudimentary Gourmet Cell manipulation sessions that Aimaru had tried to engage in with him. It would probably take Harry even longer to draw out his abilities than it would another child if he kept returning to live with his relatives, and inwardly Aimaru cursed Harry's "guardians" every time those brief periods of Cell encouragement ended in tears or terror.

"Taki-niisan, what do you do for a job?" Harry asked, sitting on the stool in front of the sink so he could wash his face and brush his teeth before bed. "You –uh, you've been here with me all the time, so I was just wondering."

"Technically I don't have a set job." Takimaru replied. He was standing by Harry's hammock, making sure that the ropes at each corner were still holding steady after being in use all week, and grinned in amusement at the little scandalized gasp Harry let out. "The Knights are a subset of the Gourmet Religion, yes, but we are also a humanitarian aid group and a coalition of Gourmet Hunters, so we receive certain benefits from the government because of those things. Sometimes I'll capture an ingredient for a client, sometimes I'll be hired by the IGO to accompany their employees for one reason or another. For the past few years I've mainly been working on the situation in Nerg City and the Jidar Kingdom."

"What's that?" Harry inquired between rinses.

"The Jidar Kingdom is a very desolate country, controlled by the Underground Cooking World and the Gourmet Mafia ever since the King abandoned it over four years ago. I'm friends with Match-san, the leader of the Gourmet Mafia, and as a favour to him I contacted the IGO and asked to work as a liaison to try and get both Jidar and Nerg City's ecosystems back to their former health." Takimaru busied himself with smoothing the comforters on the hammock for lack of anything else. "I'm paid by the IGO as a liaison, and since Aimaru assigned me as the overseer of the entire effort I'm supported through the Knights as well. I've been easing off on my duties recently except for the phone calls, because I want to be around as much as possible while you're getting used to it here."

"...Oh." Harry said quietly, setting his toothbrush down slowly. Then, "Will you work when I'm not here?"

"...Yes." Takimaru said honestly. "Nothing too far away or for too long, of course, and I'll come right back when you do. But I did give my word that I would see this through and I won't disappoint Match-san or Teppei-san by neglecting a promise. Are you alright with that?"

"...yeah, I am." Harry answered after a minute of thought, turning around so he could look at Takimaru fully. "...promises are important, right? You've got to remember the promises you make, right?"

Takimaru regarded Harry a bit quizzically, wondering where such questions had come from, but ultimately nodded in agreement. "That's right. You've said it exactly, Ha-kun... are you done over there?"

Harry hopped off of the stool and then swayed for a moment, gripping his bag tightly as he still hadn't quite adjusted to the new weight throwing his balance off. "Yup, I'm all set-"

Harry stopped dead in his tracks and his hands flew to cradle his stomach, eyes wide and panicked as they came up to lock with Takimaru's own. He opened his mouth to say something, but the light was already bleeding into his vision –from Takimaru's perspective a yellow green glow was almost fully covering one of Harry's irises and creeping quickly towards the other. Takimaru took a shuttering step forward even as Harry flickered in and out of sight, completely devoid of movement or sound; but there wasn't anything he could do before the eight year old blurred at the edges, flickered again, and then vanished from the room completely.


	15. Chapter 15

**When You Wish To Be Wanted**

by: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

...SO. I had TWO blunders with this story! I really didn't remember that as of the Cooking Fest arc, Takimaru had gone into the second tier –oops! Nevertheless, I'll leave it in here, as it really doesn't have much bearing on the overall story. And as someone was kind enough to point out, in the official Viz translation Monchy doesn't say 'moron'... he says 'idiot'! I guess I really did turn into a moron! Sorry, all!

SPOILERS

Harry woke up still standing on his feet, the light bleeding away fast and leaving him gasping for breath. The early morning was upon wherever he had landed, and as he regained control of his body he fell to his knees, gulping in as much air as he could handle while his throat closed up in terror. He spent a minute or two on the ground this way, cowering and about to pass out, but in time he recovered enough to examine his surroundings and attempt to see just where exactly he was.

It wasn't difficult to figure out; the lamppost had the street names jutting out of it about half way up the side, and he recognized them immediately as being only a few blocks away from Privet Drive. Harry wanted to cry but managed to force it down, remembering clearly what Takimaru had told him and quickly moving out of the street so he could try and orient himself. The first thing he did was make sure that everything that was supposed to have come with him actually had, and he felt the tightness ease in his chest slightly when he saw that nothing was out of place. Then he retreated further from the road, into a little grove of trees next to the wooden skeleton of a new house being built, and actually did start to cry.

Harry cried for a long time, until the sun was well into the sky and he had to stop for fear of being heard by someone out on the street. He felt even worse than the last time he had been here –sluggish, sore and miserable –although thankfully the light hadn't hurt him, which was practically the only thing he wasn't upset about right now. He wondered what would happen to him when he saw his aunt and uncle again, and the very thought almost pushed him back into hysterics before he latched onto the memory of Aimaru telling him that he knew he could be brave.

Aimaru had told him he could be brave. Aimaru had said that delivering the letters was one of his responsibilities, and Aimaru expected him to take his responsibilities seriously. Harry wiped his eyes furiously though he couldn't completely stop sniffling, and took his bag off of his back again, rummaging inside until he had found what it was he needed. The letters were transferred to his front most pocket so he could get to them quickly, and he swallowed one of the pills that Amara had prescribed with a grimace, not liking the taste. He stowed the bottle away again and then stood, throwing the backpack on with a determination he only half felt and a feeling of terror that only grew as he began to walk in the direction of Privet Drive.

It was still early enough that not many people were out, and by the absence of other kids in the parks and front yards he passed Harry had to guess that it was a weekend and everyone was sleeping in. Nobody paid him much mind, which was a first, so Harry unfortunately made it back to number four in record time and was knocking on the front door before he could even talk himself out of it like he wanted to.

Aunt Petunia looked like she was about to pass out from surprise when she answered the door to find him there, but she didn't do that in the end; her face turned blank and she glanced around quickly before seizing him by one of his arms and yanking him into the house, nearly slamming the door behind her. No one inquired about the noise from deeper inside, so she was probably the only one awake –it was a small comfort to Harry as she turned furious eyes on him and he shrunk instinctively.

"Explain yourself." She hissed, and Harry nearly began to cry again.

"I cou-couldn't stop it, I'm _sorry_! I didn't make it happen, it –it just did! Even Ai-ojiisan doesn-nn't know why!" Harry forced himself not to back away even though it was what he wanted to do most at the moment –he wanted to hide in his cupboard and never come out, never have to be looked at like this again. "I'm sorry, Aunt P-Petunia, I'm _sorry_, I really didn't make it happen!"

His aunt hadn't said another word, just stared down at him as he cowered and apologized. "_Who_ doesn't know why?" She eventually asked, and Harry's brain nearly shut down when he realized that he had revealed that he had broken the single greatest rule in this house –_never tell anyone_.

"H-H-He-He was- he talked to me- after- after I dissssappeared the-the-the fir-first time. He said he... he knew- knew wha-what was happening, tha-at he kn-_knew_ p-people with G-G-Gourmet Ce-ells and he c-could helllp me." Harry was crying again. "I-I diiiidn't _tell. _I _didn't!_ He-He gave me- gave me a letter- f-for you... to read."

Harry chanced a look at his aunt when she didn't respond for a moment –her face was pale but confused, like he had said something that she hadn't expected to hear. He reached slowly behind him, trembling fiercely but managing to grasp the zipper and eventually pull the two letters out without ripping them. He hesitated, but he was brave, he _would be brave,_ and he held them out to her boldly with his eyes squeezed shut, hoping that she wouldn't throw them away before seeing what Takimaru and Aimaru had written.

He felt her snatch them out of his hands, and he recoiled fast, hugging his arms to his chest and waiting for her to say something again. He heard the sounds of rustling paper, and there were several minutes of silence which followed that felt absolutely suffocating to Harry as he anticipated her reaction. He didn't know what his –his new father or grandfather had written, and as the quiet stretched longer and longer he doubted that he ever would.

"Get in your cupboard and don't come out until tomorrow morning." Aunt Petunia said suddenly, and Harry looked up in shock and focused on the way she was nearly crushing the paper she was holding. "You are to go to school, stay out of our way, and stay _silent. _Do I make myself clear?"

Harry nodded so hard that his neck hurt, and he scurried for the safety of his cupboard as the sound of paper being ripped to shreds filled his ears. He pressed himself into the furthest corner from the door for a long time, until his aunt had vacated the front hall and he heard the door to the backyard open and shut with a clatter. Only then did he relax even the slightest amount –which of course, was just what his sleep-deprived body needed as a cue to send him into a deep, all-consuming sleep.

Vvv

Harry awoke to stomping on the stairs above him and a bright light shining through the cracks around his door, feeling like he had slept for weeks. He uncurled slowly from the corner he was hunched into, stretching as much as he could with such a small space, and changed his clothes quickly, just in case his aunt decided to wake him by pulling the door open unexpectedly. He checked his rickety old alarm clock and found that it was still early enough that Dudley probably hadn't woken up yet, let alone come downstairs, and so it was better that he get moving now before his cousin had the chance to see him.

The kitchen fell quiet when he entered, his aunt and uncle seated at the table and very pointedly not looking up at him from their newspaper and magazine. Harry made himself as small as he could and shuffled over to the fridge to grab his typical breakfast; he had only just slid the egg and toast onto a plate when his uncle addressed him.

"The school is under the impression that you have been sick, boy." Uncle Vernon said, forcibly calm and eyes burning holes into his paper. "Make sure it stays that way. Take the note on the counter to your teacher and get going."

"Yes sir." Harry whispered, and without sitting he wolfed down his breakfast in five minutes flat. He rinsed the dishes speedily and took the note, and he was only just hearing Dudley shuffle around upstairs when he opened the front door of the house to leave.

He was several blocks from Privet Drive when he deemed it safe to take his daily pill, and further streets away when he relaxed and began to feel the odd sleepiness that clouded his brain near number four dissipate. He wondered if it really was just his Gourmet Cells affecting his emotions like Aimaru had proposed, because this street wasn't anything special to Harry that it would make his mood lift to step down it. But right now speculating on his Cells wasn't important –what he needed to do was get to the school, sequester himself away in one of the library's study rooms, and go over how he would occupy himself until he was back in Simple Diet Hill.

He already knew that for now he would be leaving number four as soon as possible in the mornings, and would probably use the time he had until school started to meditate –he liked meditation the most out of all of his daily lessons because he could use it to relax himself _by himself_. His book on pre-shot basics was the next on his list, and while he had only read one chapter so far he wanted to have a grasp on the entire thing by the time he went back; he had seen the glimmer of approval in Aimaru's expression when he had told him he wanted to learn more about it, as pre-shots were what _both _Aimaru and Takimaru held masteries in_._

He could do his focus training whenever he had free time, so recess might be the best if he could find a spot where he would be left alone. That only left his emotion management exercises which, while he had trouble with them, also didn't need much to get done, and his Gourmet Cell lessons.

The Gourmet Cell lessons were both what he had the hardest time with (even with Aimaru's diligent help) and the part that he desperately wanted to show Aimaru and Takimaru that he could achieve. Whether or not his new family actually minded his lack of progess in that area, Gourmet Cells had been the means that led him to them in the first place –and even though he terrified himself sometimes at the thought of having to practice here and risk being _seen_, he wanted to do it all the same. He wanted to be able to do it whenever he wanted, without breaking down into tears, without having to worry Aimaru sick, and most certainly without thinking even for a_ second _about his aunt and uncle_._

He made it to the library in record time, and after letting the librarian know where he would be he ensconced himself away in one of the smaller study rooms and wrote everything down in his new planner, erasing the tentative schedule that Takimaru had been attempting to follow. This new one would be hard, Harry could tell even as an eight year old that he would have to be careful not to overwork himself or get sick. But he had already done one thing that he had initially thought impossible when he mustered the courage to give his aunt the letters... and this mattered far more to him than anything his aunt could say or do.

When Harry went to class, he presented his teacher with the note from the Dursleys and quietly preened under her worried fussing before taking his seat and doing his best to pay attention to what she was teaching. He spent his brief recesses in the far corner of the school yard getting back into his focus exercises and his lunch period in the library reading the pre-shot book carefully. He took the long route back to number four so he could be sure that he didn't run into his cousin, and ate his meagre dinner in record time before running back outside.

The following weeks passed by in much the same way, with Harry avoiding his relatives and the house they lived in as much as he could, only returning for sleep and meals –and even then he didn't always get to eat if his aunt and uncle were in a bad mood, so in those cases he went to a soup kitchen or the langar. When he showed up more than thrice a week those others who frequented the places got worried about him and asked if there was anything wrong at home –Harry still wasn't used to things like that happening, so while he felt guilty about it later he lied to all of them. He stuck to a story saying that his parents had died when he was little and he was living in a group home some ways away, and since things were tight he wanted to get some meals on his own. That didn't exactly appease them, but it reduced the worry to such that he was only fussed over at Sri Guru Singh when he hung around for prayers after the meal; that was less an inconvenience and more of a treat.

He read and reread the pre-shot book until every line in it was practically burned into his brain, and while some of the concepts he still didn't understand he was content with what he had accomplished so far. He knew that once he returned to the Lodgings he would be able to get all of his questions elaborated on, so he also dedicated a page of his planner to queries that he didn't want to forget. Thankfully reading the book so much actually did push forward his progress in his focus exercises, and he felt that he might actually have a basic one worked out once he had everything explained properly.

He made very little progress on his emotion management and Gourmet Cell practice in the first few days, but the forest clearing where he had first disappeared that he had chosen for his training spot was secluded and quiet, and so little by little he grew more comfortable going there each day for that purpose even if not much seemed to come of it. At the very least he didn't feel as sad when he got back to Privet Drive anymore, and could even muster up happiness when he was away, if fleeting most of the time.

All of his hard work was worth it in the end though, when one warm day in late November he was sitting in the clearing and meditating quite peacefully. His mind was clear and his body was comfortable, and in this state he could almost feel his very cells relaxing from their hyperactive state; his hands subconsciously moved into position and his mind sharpened, allowing for complete and total focus. Without breaking that focus (indeed, it strengthened as he went on) his hands made several different motions, mimicking what he had read in the book and what he had seen Takimaru and Aimaru do before, and after many long minutes they came to a stop.

His eyes opened, and he reached out in a trance to grab a pebble on the ground in front of him; once his cells came into contact with the stone he knew what he wanted to do, and within a blink of an eye the stone had changed form –into the crude, but recognizable shape of a ring made not of stone, but iron.

The shock of what he had actually managed to do threw Harry out of the hyperfocus of his pre-shot routine, and while a similar feeling to nausea crept up his throat at the sight of the ring he didn't freak out as he was prone to do. He let out a hysterical giggle and brought it closer to his face to inspect it, hardly able to believe that he had actually managed to use his cells on command, but he had seen it happen. He had done it... he had done it!

Harry was in a good mood for the rest of the day, and it didn't drop off even when his aunt barred him from a dinner due to the fact they were hosting company. He stayed long enough to get a glimpse of an odd man in a deep red suit walking up the driveway and then he scurried off all the way out to the langar. He ended up wearing the ring on his index finger so he would always have it with him, and that night when he made it back to his cupboard rather early and the light bled into his eyes when there should have only been darkness –well, the tears that followed were certainly not ones of sadness.

Vvv

Again, Harry awoke in the same position as he had left –this time he had appeared sitting next to a dumpster in an alleyway, brightly lit by the city that sprawled out all around him. The parts of the street he could see out of the closest end of the alley were bustling and noisy, even more so than the parts of London he had visited with his aunt and uncle. Briefly checking that he still had everything he needed safely in his backpack, Harry wiped his cheeks and stood, ready to find a policeman or similar and make his way back to Simple Diet Hill.

Harry stayed to the edges of the sidewalks so he didn't get caught underfoot, a good decision as everywhere he looked there was something that amazed him. He wondered if every city in the Human World was like this, full of restaurants of every kind, neon blazing like it was high noon and so many different people walking around together without a care. Despite being an unaccompanied kid, Harry didn't garner a second glance from anyone, most seeming to be too engrossed in their meals or destinations that they thought of little else.

Harry walked several blocks without coming across a police station, which struck him as a bit odd, and frustrating; he wanted to find something as soon as possible so that he didn't waste any time in getting back. But all of the stores and restaurants were so crowded that he didn't feel like he should bother anyone for a phone, and he knew from his aunt that most stores didn't appreciate being asked to use their line if it was long distance, so he kept walking until he reached an area that was slightly less crowded than the rest.

Looking around, most of the places in this little plaza were bars, from small stalls to multi-story complexes. Harry skirted around the edges nervously, not wanting to be noticed by anyone who was drunk, and after a few minutes ended up in another alley so that he could take a brief rest. He had only just sat down when a voice piped up from further in; making him jump and scramble back to his feet, at the same time whipping out the knife Takimaru had given him in case he needed to defend himself.

Sitting about a dozen feet into the alley, on the back step of a building that was made of logs and probably opened up onto the street at the other end was a very large, very muscular man with a cone shaped head and a burly moustache. He was smoking and calmly regarding the hunting knife Harry was pointing at him, and they held a short staring contest before the man huffed in amusement and crushed out the cigarette.

"No need to take out a thing like that, you average level brat. I was only gonna warn you off stealing anything from around here, lest I call security."

"I... I wouldn't steal anything! I was just sitting for a mo'." Harry slowly lowered the thing, feeling embarrassed that the man thought he looked like the type to be a thief. "Do you know where there's a phone box around, or a police station? I've been looking for ages and can't find one."

"And you're not likely to. Where do you need to call? I've got a phone you can use." The man stood up, and Harry was a little scared because even if the man wasn't as tall as most people, he was nearly twice as broad, with hands that could probably snap Harry's neck if he were so inclined. The man noticed his hesitation and huffed. "What's your name, brat? I'm Moriji, I own this place, Bar Heavy Lodge. You can stay out here and I'll get the cordless, but I'm not going to hurt you."

"...I'm Harry. I need to call near Simple Diet Hill." Harry admitted after a moment of deliberation, stowing away his knife and moving closer.

Moriji nodded once and then disappeared through the bar's back door, leaving Harry to sit on the back step while he waited. He thought he heard a commotion a few minutes before Moriji reappeared, but when the hulking man pushed the door open again there was no more noise than normal, so Harry thanked him and quickly dialled Takimaru's personal number while Moriji lit another cigarette.

"Takimaru speaking." Harry smiled.

"Sorry I was gone for so long, Taki-niisan." A great sigh of relief came from Takimaru's end almost immediately.

"I was so _worried_. Thank Acacia you're alright." Harry heard murmuring in the background that sounded like someone was asking Takimaru a question. "Yes I _need_ to, it's my son. Sorry, Ha-kun, now where are you? If you're close I can pick you up myself or we can arrange something else..."

"I'm at a place called Bar Heavy Lodge, using their phone. The owner's name is Moriji." The man was still nearby, obviously listening in.

"Hm. You're pretty far from where I am, but luckily you're close to home. Do you want me to send someone to get you or do you want to take the train out from the station?" Harry paused to think, but Moriji interrupted him.

"Let me talk to 'em, brat." The bar owner held out his hand expectantly, so Harry told Takimaru what was going on before relinquishing the phone.

"Who is this exactly? ...I remember you from that Century Soup debacle that went down. This is your kid? ...he's fine, not a scrape on him. No, no, I can put 'im up for the night. If someone'll be here tomorrow, it's no problem... Yeah? Well you better stop in soon then, and bring Toriko with you why don't you?" Moriji shook his head and handed the phone back to Harry.

"Ha-kun, did you hear any of that? Moriji-san is going to let you stay with him until someone gets there tomorrow. Be good for me, okay?" Harry was loathe to let the other go so soon, but he had noticed the talking in the background on Takimaru's end and was starting to get cold standing in the alley. He said goodbye even though he didn't want to and within minutes was seated with Moriji behind the bar of his very rowdy establishment, being handed a cloth and a bin full of dusty cups.

"You can sit up here for now and clean those, but if you get tired tell me and I'll set up the cot. You ever been in a bar before, kid?"

Vvv

It was eleven o'clock in the morning and while there had never been an exact time specified, Raimaru felt like he was running inexcusably late. Gourmet Town was already well into its Lunch Rush Hour and only getting busier, which was no help to him since he had to both make it all the way into the central zone of the city and navigate the unfamiliar streets on his own. He silently cursed Takimaru as he took the wrong street for the seventh time, the promise of a job trade looking less and less appealing by the minute.

Raimaru had agreed to fetch Takimaru's wayward son mostly because he was one of the few Knights who hadn't already met the kid, having been on a job with the new trainees of the Heaven Team for the entirety of the boy's stay. He was curious of course –he had thought that Takimaru would be the type to settle down with his assignments and his weird sort-of partner and that would be the end of it –but since he'd been proven wrong he wanted to meet this kid himself. What better way to do that then spend eight hours with him on the train back to Simple Diet Hill?

But regardless of the incentive, it was a relief to come upon the nearly vacant Bar Heavy Lodge without running into trouble, chiefly because that nagging feeling in the back of his mind stopped the moment he saw it. The door was unlocked and as he entered he immediately heard the sound of a conversation further in, which died down as the bell rang and Raimaru stepped fully into the bar.

He had seen the owner Moriji before, and it wasn't a surprise to see him writing in a ledger at one of the high stools at the bar, but the kid helping him with the task was the one he paid attention to. If he hadn't already known who it was he was escorting, he wouldn't have been able to tell –the kid looked absolutely _nothing_ like Takimaru, who at the very least could have been mistaken for Aimaru's biological son by anyone who didn't know their circumstances.

Harry was of average height and build for an eight year old, with spiky black hair kept out of his eyes with clips and the dark skin of someone from Value or the Taro Peninsula. He had a rather noticeable scar in the middle of his forehead, sturdy glasses and clothes that had obviously been bought in Simple Diet Hill, and as soon as he caught sight of Raimaru coming over his happy expression somehow brightened even more. Moriji swiped the pen from Harry's hands and gave his shoulder a heavy pat, so that by the time Raimaru had walked over Harry was already adjusting the straps of his pack and waiting expectantly.

"Hello, Harry, was it? Takimaru sent me to get you." Harry smiled turned a bit shy but he didn't cower under Raimaru's scrutiny.

"Yes, that's me! What's your name?"

"I'm Raimaru, squirt, nice to meet'cha. Moriji-san, Takimaru wanted me to thank you, and to let you know he'll be sure to stop by soon." The burly man nodded shortly and reached down to pat Harry's head a few times.

"Come back when you're of age, brat. I'll give you a birthday discount."

"I'll never drink alcohol, Moriji-san, but I'll be sure to at least visit!" It sounded like something Harry was used to saying, and Moriji let out an offended sound in response that by Harry's laugh was obviously just teasing. "Thank you again for letting me stay."

"No problem. Take care." Moriji waved them off, and Raimaru was about to turn around to ask Harry about getting something to eat when a choked off yelp reached his ears. He looked down at his temporary charge and swore despite himself –the child was froze with a terrified look on his face, clutching his stomach, and as he and Moriji stared in horror he flickered once, twice, and then completely out of existence.

"Get Takimaru on the phone!"


End file.
